


Through the Veil of Secrets

by rubberduckz84



Series: The Wood Series [12]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Drama, F/M, Family, Mystery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-12
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:49:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 85,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21765574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubberduckz84/pseuds/rubberduckz84
Summary: (Wood Series Book 6) What Dominique Weasley originally thought was overblown family drama, has turned into a serious risk. Now she is set with the task of looking into her aunt Iris Evan-Woods' murky past in order to find out why her cousins Daisy and Jamie are now developing more of her abilities. The greatest fear is knowing that something is coming, but not what or when.
Series: The Wood Series [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1555570
Kudos: 2





	1. Day of Recognition

**Author's Note:**

> Set shortly after Playing with Fire ends, this one takes place concurrently with Where There's a Will, There's a Way. It mostly revolves around Dominique, though Iris, Daisy and Jamie also play a large role. Dominique is determined to save her family from another war; Daisy and Jamie are struggling to control their new gifts while fearing what could happen if they don't; and Iris must not only face her past but now share things with her family that she had kept hidden and tried to forget for years. All while fearing for her children.
> 
> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Family/Drama  
> Rating: M (Language, Mention of abuse)

Dominique strode down the hallway, her head held high and a confident grin on her face.

Today was the day.

Her boss Mr. Grifford was going to announce which one on the team would be sent to the aurors for special assignment. She had been passed over so many times - despite having the highest number of resolved cases in the whole department - but she felt like this time was her time. Molly had wished her luck as they split ways at the lifts and called out that she’d have the champagne ready when she got back from work that day.

This would be her day.

“What’s got into you?” Toby asked as he caught with Dominique. She grinned at him as he fell in stride.

“I can just feel it… he’s going to choose me this time,” she said. Toby chuckled.

“He’d be mad not to,” Toby said. “Think you could pull some strings and get me over there with you?” Dominique laughed. The two had been assigned together for the past several months. Of all her cousins’ friends, she liked him the best. He seemed the most reasonable of the lot. And never took part in the triplets annoying pranks either at school or in the years after. With his quiet and calm demeanor, she always wondered how it was he got sorted into Gryffindor. At least with her and Molly they could blame it on their family.

“I’ll see what I can do,” she said, winking. The two walked into the office and moved towards their desks. As usual, they were the first ones there. Dominique set about to organizing the reports she planned to turn in as soon as Mr. Grifford showed up.

“Morning all,” a slightly pudgy man with graying hair said as he sleepily strolled in and walked over to his desk.

“Another long night, Whitehall?” Dominique asked, looking over at him as he collapsed into his chair.

“Yea… had a few calls come in and just as I got home to sleep, the baby started wailing something fierce,” he said. “Thank Merlin I’m not on call again tonight.” 

“Who is?” Toby asked.

“Warlow, I think,” he said, pulling the day’s issue of The Daily Prophet out and opening it on his desk. Dominique snorted.

“Good. I hope he has so many calls he can’t sleep,” she said. Whitehall chuckled.

“You’ve had it in for him ever since you started with the team,” the older man said, glancing over at her.

“Yea, why is that?” Toby asked, looking over at her. Being a relatively new member of the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, he had been introduced to the animosity between Dominique and Warlow, but never heard the full story.

“He keeps getting all the special assignments,” she grumbled.

“Didn’t he trick you into writing all his reports for awhile as well?” Whitehall asked.

“Yes,” Dom said, her blue eyes turning cold. Almost as though he sensed their discussion, the man in question sauntered into the office, looking smug as usual. He was tall and stocky, boasting on Dom’s first day that he had once been captain of his house quidditch team, causing her to roll her eyes. He had been attempting to hit on her before he realized who she was. Dominique Weasley - related to famed quidditch player and coach Oliver Wood and cousin to his three sons who were already making waves in the League at that time, especially Jamie. Then he tried to get on her good side to score free tickets.

Once he had realized he didn’t stand a chance with her and she found him utterly annoying, a rivalry had sprung up.

“Morning Weasley, Davies, Whitehall,” he said as he slowly made his way to his desk next to Dom’s. “Caught a fun party last night at your cousin’s flat. Missed you.” Dominique rolled her eyes. He knew full and well that she had broken up with Cunningham a few months ago and wouldn’t be at any of the parties this summer. Or at least until the awkwardness wore off. There was no telling how long that would last.

Truth be told, she hadn’t wanted to break up with him. Not really. Paul had been sweet, kind and one of the better boyfriends she had had. She had cared for him deeply, but with the veil of secrecy now surrounding her family - specifically her cousins - she just couldn’t handle the lying. It was easier to break things off and keep him in the dark that way than continue on with the relationship and be forced to tell him half-truths. She already saw how much of a strain it put on Daisy and John. Even Kelly and Lucy fought over it from time to time. Though she supposed at some point they would all have to be told.

Once they figured out whatever it was, if there was something. She was of the mind that her family was jumping to conclusions and making a big deal over nothing. 

Sighing, she shook her head. There would always be some sort of drama in her family. That she would never escape. Even her usually calm and collected younger brother had volunteered to do some investigating in Paris, while her normally sensible Aunt Hermione seemed constantly on edge.

“Knowing the triplets, I’m sure it was,” she muttered, continuing with organizing her files.

“Oh, it was the little one - Daisy - that provided the entertainment,” he said. “Had a bit of a drinking competition with the Puddlemere chaser.” Dominique rolled her eyes.

“They tend to do that from time to time,” she said, glancing up at Toby, who smiled slightly. He had somehow managed to keep quiet about his friendship with her cousin, which Dom envied. She wished she didn’t have such a recognizable name that everyone immediately connected to one or more of her famous family members. Warlow chuckled as he set to work on his own reports, finally leaving Dominique in peace.

The rest of the department began to file into the room and before long, it was full with all of them waiting on bated breath for their boss to arrive. They all knew that he’d make the announcement today. 

Suddenly an overweight, slightly balding man with muddy brown hair swooped into the office.

“Morning, Mr. Gifford,” everyone said, following him. He walked into his office with a nod and set about to putting his briefcase down. He then walked back out and stood, looking around.

“Alright then, best to get it over with,” he said. Everyone stared at him, holding their breath. “Weasley, you’re to report to the aurors office immediately. They specially requested you.” Dom’s face lit up as she grinned.

“Yes, Mr. Grifford,” she said with a nod as she turned and grabbed her purse and wand. She grinned at Toby.

“See you later,” she said, barely containing her excitement as she walked out. She ventured a glance back at Warlow, who looked beyond put out that he didn’t get to go.

“I knew this was my day,” she said to herself as she quickly walked down the corridor to the lifts, baring able to keep from running.

**~~~**

Dominique strode purposely down the corridor to the auror department, a smirk on her face. She nearly ran out of giddiness, but kept her excitement in check. She was supposed to check in with the auror team to get briefed on the assignment.

Stopping in front of the door, she looked at it and took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders. This was it. She opened the door and stepped into the department. The room was abuzz with movement and noise. It was large - large enough to fit several groupings of desks into teams. Along one wall there were a series of offices with large windows where the various team heads worked. A large corner office housed the head of the auror department. Dominique knew that her uncle once held the position, but he now had a large office down the hallway where he ran the entire Magical Law Enforcement Office.

Dominique smiled to herself and walked through the room over to the department head’s office. Most of the aurors were busy and paid her no mind. She glanced over and saw her brother-in-law wasn’t in his office. Probably off investigating something. She knocked on the door and straightened her robes.

“Come in,” a voice called from within. Dominique pushed the door open and stepped into the office.

“Dominique Weasley from the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad,” she said. A man in his mid to late 30s looked up from the desk, taking in the petite woman. He had dark, curly hair and brooding, dark eyes.

“Right, I’m Walter Pace, head of the auror department,” he said. He waved his wand, sending a parchment airplane out of the office. “I’ve just sent for the head of the team you’ll be working with.” Dominique nodded as he returned to the document in front of him. He glanced up at her. “You were specifically requested, Ms. Weasley. So I hope you are up to task.” Dominique could feel her cheeks turn slightly red.

“I assure you, I’ll do my best,” she said confidently.

Suddenly the door flew open. Dominique turned and fought the desire to groan.

“Dom! Good! You made it! I was worried Grifford was gonna refuse to send you. Would have been about the 10th time I’ve requested you that he’s refused,” Teddy said as he shut the door behind him, his hair the usual shade of outlandish blue.

“Lupin, this better not be favoritism,” Pace said, looking up at the two.

“Of course not, Mr. Pace,” he said with a grin. “Dominique here has just the skill set we need for this case.” Pace nodded and motioned them out. “Follow me, Dom.”

Dominique followed him out and down the line of offices to his own. He whistled before stepping in, his sister-in-law following him. As soon as the door shut behind them, Dominique huffed and stomped over to the chair in front of Teddy’s desk, collapsing into with a glare as she dropped her purse on the floor next to her.

“Really, Teddy? Merlin, of all the teams to be working with, it had to be yours,” she said with a groan.

“Come on, you’re not excited to be working with family?” he asked, grinning.

“I should have known it was you when Grifford said I had been specifically requested,” she said with a sigh. “What is it you need me to do?”

The door to his office opened and Dominique looked over as Chris Abbott walked in, causing her to roll her eyes again. The tall blonde had been best friends with her annoying cousins at Hogwarts - often joining in on their pranks and trouble when he wasn’t fawning over her other cousin Daisy Wood. He now was reinstated as Jamie’s best friend and had been assigned to Teddy’s team last summer.

And even though years had passed since they graduated, he still annoyed the hell out of her.

“That’s a lovely way to say hi, Weasley,” he said, smirking. Dominique swore the man lived to antagonize her.

“Teddy, get on with it. What is it I’m supposed to be doing now that I’m here?” she said, turning her view back to Teddy.

“Well, officially we’re looking into a string of burglary cases involving muggle establishments,” Teddy started. Dominique groaned again.

“You brought me over here to investigate whatever it is that’s going on with Jamie and Daisy, didn’t you,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“Come on, Dom, this is serious,” Teddy said.

“No, it’s not. They started getting more of Aunt Iris’ gifts and now you think some sort of disaster is on the way. There’s no correlation,” she said, shaking her head. She glanced over at Chris, who seemed to have a serious look on his face. “And I take it since we’re speaking so openly, Abbott here has been filled in on the latest family drama?”

Teddy and Chris shared a look, with Teddy nodding. Chris waved his wand, muttering something under his breath.

“Dom, I’m going to show you something that not everyone in the family has been privy to. Maybe it will change your mind,” Teddy said, walking over to a cabinet and opening it. Dom sat up in her chair, noticing the pensieve in it.

“Blimey, what’s this?” she said.

“Would you stop whining and just come look?” Teddy said, starting to lose his patience. She pushed out of the chair with a sigh and walked over as he selected a bottle and began extracting the memory and putting it into the bowl. “Aunt Iris gave this to me. Since she can’t be here all the time to project the memory.”

“Fine, but it won’t change my mind,” she said. Teddy just stared at her, seeming as though he was resisting the urge to roll his eyes or smack her in the back of the head.

“Just look at it,” he said. 

Dominique leaned over the pensieve and took a deep breath before submerging her face in the liquid. She felt like she was falling, tumbling through the air. A sense of panic filled her chest but as soon as it started, she was on her feet in a dark chamber. She looked around, barely able to make out where she was, it was so dark. It seemed large - very large. And there were seemingly hundreds of tall shelves with glass balls of varying sizes that stretched for what looked like miles in every direction. Dominique gasped quietly. 

She was in the Hall of Prophecy.

Very few ever got to see this place outside of those who worked in the Department of Mysteries. Dominique drank it all in, knowing this was probably the closest she’d ever get to seeing it.

A quiet shuffling from her right drew her attention. Dominique turned and saw a young girl, she looked like she was no more than maybe 12 or 13, with short, curly red hair. Her face was smudged with what could have been dirt or bruises - Dom couldn’t tell in the low light - while her hair looked as though it hadn’t been washed in months. Her green eyes seemed full of fear as she crept down the aisle where Dom stood, looking around as though she expected someone to jump out at any moment. Her movements were jerky and tight. One hand held a sort of glowing orb, while the other was out to her side, as though she were at the ready should someone or something attack.

Dom’s eyes widened as she realized who she was staring at. It was Aunt Iris. 

Dom watched as the young teen crept passed her and then fell behind in step behind her, watching as Iris’ head quickly moved from one side to the other, trying to keep all directions in her sight. There was a soft whisper from somewhere and Iris stopped, straightening up from the slight crouch she had been in, tilting her head to one side as though she were listening.

Dom noted her worn, dirty clothing. An ugly red stripe seemed to creep up from under the collar of her shirt, making its way up her neck. It looked painful. There was the soft whisper again, but this time Dominique could hear what it was saying.

_ “Irissss…” _

Teen Iris turned her head to the right and started down an aisle, looking around at the shelves. Dominique followed closely behind her.

_ “Irissss…” _

It was louder this time, as though they were getting closer. Iris began walking faster as the whispering kept coming more and more often, louder and louder. 

Suddenly the young girl stopped and looked to her left. She turned and faced the shelf, searching. Seeing her up close, the light from the orb bouncing off her face, Dominique could see that the smudges were a mixture of healing bruises and dirt. She stared in shock, not sure how she felt seeing her aunt in this way. 

Young Iris left the orb suspended in the air as she fixated on one shelf and reached through the glass, deep onto it. A small look of triumph came over her face as she seemed to have found whatever it was she was looking for. She pulled her arms out and looked down at a small glass ball in her hands. It was so encrusted with dirt and dust that there was no soft glow visible from within like the others around them. 

Iris frowned as she started to wipe away at the grime with her sleeve. Dominique stepped closer, wanting to see what was in the object just as much as young Iris. Finally she had cleared a large enough spot that a swirling blue and green light emitted from it. An old, weathered face appeared. Dominique couldn’t make out if it was a man or a woman, but guessed from the lack of facial hair that it must have been a woman. Her eyes were clouded, as though she were blind.

_ “They are coming. They are here. They were here before,”  _ the woman said.  _ “The descendants of Athena will rise again. They will bear her mark. They possess the power to protect… but also to destroy… They will come when they are needed… Beware of those who will seek to use you for evil… for they will seek you…” _

Young Iris’ face went rigid in fear as her hands started to shake.

“The power to destroy?” she whispered. “Can you tell me more?” she asked, a bit more loudly, not understanding that the orb contained a prophecy and couldn’t answer questions. “Please… I need to know more.”

The old woman repeated the prophecy.

“I heard that,” Iris said, getting frantic. “I need you to tell me more!” Tears started streaking down her cheeks. She looked around the room quickly and then back down at the orb. Suddenly, she went stiff as she seemed to come to some sort of conclusion. Her mouth dropped open as she looked up, blinking slowly. “Oh, god,” she murmured. She looked back down at the orb and then quickly threw it to the ground - the orb smashing into dust as it made contact with the stone floor. Iris took a step back and looked at the shards as she wiped her cheeks.

A few shouts came from behind Dominique. Both turned to look towards them. When Dominique turned to look back at her aunt, she had already taken off at a run down the aisle in the other direction. She then suddenly vanished. Smoke filled the room as Dominique felt herself being pulled back out of the memory.

Once back in the warm, bright office, Dominique took a step back. She looked at Teddy and then walked over and sat back down.

“So that’s what happened,” she murmured. She looked up at her brother-in-law. “That’s the prophecy. In full?” He nodded.

“You see… It does mean something. And we need to find out what before it’s too late,” he said.

“But… we don’t even know that much about Aunt Iris,” Dominique said. “Shouldn’t we be looking into this prophecy and whatever she is?” Teddy started to grin as he looked over at Chris.

“See? I told you we needed her. It’s going to go much faster with her helping,” he said. Dominique looked over at Chris, who was studying her, his face betraying nothing.

“I told you that I had a handle on it,” he said, looking back at Teddy. “I am a trained auror. She’s been on the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad for the last four years.” Dominique shot up out of her chair and stepped towards the auror.

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, challenging him. “You think I’m not good enough to help out with this investigation? Well I’ve got news for you, I _am_ good at what I do. And I know I can be better at this than you.” 

“Is that so?” Chris said, stepping close to her.

“Children, please!” Teddy called out. They both stopped glaring at each other long enough to look at him. “We’re all on the same team here. And we all need to work together if we’re going to figure this out.” He walked over behind his desk and started tapping a few pieces of parchment with his wand.

“Dominique, I’m now giving you access to the archives underneath the Ministry and the Department of Mysteries. I don’t think you’ll need to go there, but depending on what comes up, you may need it,” he said. Dominique’s face lit up. “But don’t go in there unless you need to. The Unspeakables get a bit cranky when anyone that’s not them pops in. Molly is working with us as well. In fact, I think she’s already down in the Archives. We report directly to Harry once a week or whenever we find something of value. And we regularly hand deliver reports to Hermione.”

Dominique suddenly remembered her promise to Toby. She wasn’t sure if Teddy would go for bringing one more person into the family secret, but it seemed they could use as many hands as they could on this. If memory served her correctly, the archives were a massive labyrinth of tunnels and chambers that could take years to fully navigate on one’s own.

“Might I make a suggestion?” she asked. Teddy looked up at her, a quizzical expression on his face. “It seems like this could be a mammoth task - one too big for just us. You should bring Toby on to help.”

“No way,” Chris said immediately. “You said that this needed to be kept to the strictest level of confidentiality. We can’t go around bringing in half the Ministry on it.”

“Please, Abbott. He’s Daisy’s best friend. If he doesn’t already know, he will soon,” Dominique, rolling her eyes. “Besides, he’s been around the family longer than you.” She looked over to Teddy, who seemed to be thinking it over. 

“I think you might be right, Dom. We do need as many hands and eyes working on this as we can. Makes sense to bring Toby it. I’ll send for him immediately,” he said, sitting as his desk. 

“So what’s my orders?” Dom asked, crossing her arms in front of her. Teddy looking up.

“Oh, right… Well… I suppose for now, just go join Molly in the archives. We need to find anything we can related to that prophecy or Iris,” he said.

“So… searching for any sort of mention of others like Aunt Iris?” Dominique asked. Teddy nodded. “And is there anything I’m suppose to say if someone asks what I’m doing?”

“No one will bother you. Molly and I fabricate weekly reports to send to Pace. It’s enough to keep him satisfied without actually solving the case. And if he ever gets suspicious, we’ve got Harry to step in and throw him off. Though… depending on whatever happens, he’ll be filled in fully at some point,” Teddy said.

Dominique nodded and grabbed her purse from the floor.

“Then I’ll be off. Send Toby down once he gets here and you’ve filled him in,” she said over her shoulder as she started walking towards the door. 

“What do you need me to do?” she heard Chris asked.

“Go down with Dom,” Teddy said.

“Really? Shouldn’t I be out… doing something?” he asked, sounding as though he were whining.

“Go, Abbott.”

“Yes, sir,” he said resignedly. Dominique smiled to herself as she heard him start to follow her. The two left Teddy’s office and started to make their way out of the department and towards the lifts.

“I’m not too thrilled to be working with you either,” she said, glancing at him.

“And why not?” Chris asked, seeming a bit peeved.

“I do remember a rather disastrous potions project our fifth year. Let’s try to avoid something like that again, yea?” she said. 

“Fine by me,” Chris replied. “You stay out of my way and I’ll stay out of yours.” They reached the lifts and Chris held the grating open for her. “Ladies first,” he said sarcastically. Dominique smirked at him as she walked passed. After he had joined her and the doors shut, he pressed a button at the very bottom of the panel.

“You ever been down in the archives?” he asked. Dominique shook her head no. “Then you’re in for something.”


	2. Into the Abyss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Dominique is introduced to the project Teddy's team is working on, she's introduced to the massive archives under the Ministry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Family/Drama  
> Rating: M (Language, Mention of abuse)

It felt like the lift had been going down for ages when it finally came to a stop. The air that rushed in through the grates seemed a bit musty but was cool. Dominique pulled her robe a bit more closely around her as she followed Chris out and towards the large set of double doors that seemed to reach up at least two stories. She looked up at them, her eyes widening as she took in the solid oak and various carvings of moments throughout wizarding history. A gold plate to the right side of the doors read “Ministry of Magic Historical Archives”. 

Chris pushed one of the massive doors open, stopping a moment to hold it as Dominique entered. She stopped as they entered a large lobby. It was dimly lit with matte gold walls that contained portraits of all the past Ministers for Magic. It was nearly empty, save a red velvet sofa to one side with a large L-shaped desk and an old witch to the other. Directly across from them was another set of large doors. The witch sat shuffling through parchments at the desk. A pile of scrolls sat to her right. It was the only noise around them, save the squeak of the door as it slid shut. The old witch looked up and pushed her glasses up her nose.

“Yes?” she asked, annoyed to have her work interrupted.

“Chris Abbott and Dominique Weasley from the Auror Department,” Chris said, stepping over to her. Dominique followed. The old witch picked up her wand and waved it at the two then studied them a moment. Seeming satisfied, she waved them through.

“You know the rules, Mr. Abbott. Please explain them to Ms. Weasley,” she said boredly, returning to her work. 

“Of course, Ms. Harquin. Oh, by the way, we’re looking for Molly Weasley. Do you by chance know where she is?” he asked.

The old witch looked up at him and then stood. She walked over to the other part of the desk where a large map seemed to be laid out. She studied it a moment before looking up.

“Ms. Weasley seems to be in Cavern C-3, Room 306,” she said, walking back and sitting down.

“Thank you,” Chris said. He walked towards the door with Dominique following, her heels clacking loudly against the floor. They went through the doors and were standing in a large, rock corridor that went right and left.

“How far down are we?” Dominique asked as Chris seemed to be determining which way to go.

“Dunno. Don’t think anyone really knows, save the Minister, perhaps. Only she has access to all the blueprints for the Ministry,” he said, taking off towards the right. The two walked in silence, but every so often a large archway would appear to either side of the corridor. Dominique would peer in, astonished to see large cavern after large cavern filled with thousands of bookshelves, filing cabinets and various other storage devices.

“How on earth do you figure out how to get around here? Is there some sort of filing system?” she asked breathlessly, suddenly feeling mounting pressure. They had been walking nearly 10 minutes and there seemed to be no end to the corridor or caverns.

This was going to take forever. There was no way they could make it through all of the Archives. Maybe in 20 years or so, but not in the amount of time needed to figure out what was going on.

“I still haven’t got the hang of it, but Molly tends to stay in the C caverns most of the time, so I’ve gotten good at remembering how to get there,” he said. Dominique nodded.

“And what are these rules that you’re supposed to inform me of?” she asked, glancing at him.

“Don’t take originals of anything. Be respectful. No loud noises and so on,” he said.

“I hope it wasn’t an extensive list,” Dominique said.

“It’s about the same as any library,” Chris replied. He slowed down as they came up to the right cavern. Chris turned right and stepped in, Dominique following him. She was instantly in awe of the sheer amount of information that must be kept here. She had no idea where to begin figuring how things were stored. But at least she was a quick learner. And she was sure that Molly would break it down quickly and in much better fashion that Chris. She followed him as they skirted the outer edge of the cavern. He stopped at a door and opened it, popping his head in first.

“There you are, Molly,” he said cheerfully.

“Please tell me you aren’t here to bother me,” Dominique heard her groan.

“Pleasure to see you too. I’ve actually brought you extra hands,” he said with a smirk.

“No offense, but you haven’t been that helpful lately,” she said. Chris grabbed Dominique’s arm and pulled her into the room. Molly sat up from where she had been bent over a large, dusty tome, quickly grinning.

“Thank Merlin, Teddy finally got you transferred!” she shouted as she shot up out of her chair and ran over to her cousin.

“So now I get to see you at work and at home,” Dominique said, smiling. Molly let go.

“Bound to be more helpful than this git,” she said, frowning at Chris. 

“I wasn’t that far behind you in class rankings, Molly,” Chris said, rolling his eyes. “And I’m an auror. I know what I’m doing. Just do it a bit differently than you, is all.”

“Right,” Molly said with a snort. Dom stifled a laugh. Molly was very much a by-the-rules sort with a very clear idea of how things should be done - whether it was right or wrong - and anyone who didn’t fit that mold was definitely in her wrong category.

“Right then, I’m off to do some digging,” he said. “Don’t have too much fun.” He then turned and left the room. Dominique looked around the small area. The walls were rock - as though the room had been carved out of the cavern itself. There were torches lighting it up, with three lamps spread down the long, wooden table in the center of the room. There were about ten comfy looking chairs around it. Molly led Dominique over to where she had been set up, surrounded by piles of books, parchments, and scrolls.

“What are you looking at?” she asked as she sat next to Molly. Her cousin sighed and pulled her wavy red hair up into a bun, fastening it with an elastic.

“Ancient cultures,” she said. “Seemed like a good place to start with the reference to Athena.”

“At least that narrowed our search range,” Dominique said looking around.

“Still too much to go through,” Molly said. “There’s actually a fair amount of information on Greece, Greek culture and the gods and goddesses down here. Not to mention the chance that it might not even be here.” 

“Where do you want me to start?” Dominique asked. “Anything here? Or should I go out and search for more.” Molly looked around, seeming overwhelmed by the amount of information just in that room alone.

“Maybe start with finding your own? I could use help here, but I think we might cover more ground if you go out and poke around a bit,” she said. “Besides, if there’s anything we want to look over more closely after hours, we can make copies.” Dominique nodded and stood.

“I shall be back soon,” she said cheerfully.

~~~

Dominique quickly discovered that the archives were every bit as daunting as she thought upon first arriving. Once she figured out how things were stored - which took a good 30 minutes to get the basics down though she still didn’t completely understand it - it took another hour or so before she found several tomes and scrolls that could potentially lead to information that they needed.

She walked back into the room, finding Molly still alone and still pouring over the same book.

“How’s your introduction to the archives going?” she asked without looking up.

“Difficult,” Dominique said as she dropped everything in her arms on the table. A small cloud of dust flew up into her face, causing her to sneeze. Molly snickered, looking up at her. 

“That happens often,” she said. Dominique sat down and opened the first book.

“What’s in the padlocked rooms?” she asked, looking over at her cousin.

“Various magical artifacts that are too dangerous to be displayed in museums,” Molly replied, turning back to her book. 

“Anything of use to us?” Dominique asked.

“Not sure - haven’t made it in there yet. Suppose we should take a look at the registries before we wander in though,” she said. Dominique sighed and looked down, getting to work. She had barely gotten to it when the door opened and Chris led Toby in. He was grinning as he looked around the room.

“This place is amazing,” he exclaimed. With a roll of his eyes, Chris left, shutting the door behind him. Toby walked over and sat next to Dominique.

“I’ve now been fully briefed - seriously how could you all keep that a secret for so long? And what’s the plan?” he asked.

“Scour the archives for any and all information that could be related to protective magic, Athena, and ancient Greek culture or magic,” Molly said with a sigh.

“Right. I’ll get started,” he said, pushing out of the chair and walking to the door.

“Try not to get lost,” Dominique called out with a smile. Toby laughed at her.

“I won’t,” he said said.

“You sure? You got lost in Hogsmeade the first time you visited,” Molly said, a smile playing across her lips. Toby stopped and stared at her.

“I did not,” he said indignantly. “Just got turned around is all…”

“Sure,” Molly said, laughing softly.

“Just get to work,” Dominique said.

~~~

Dominique sighed as she collapsed on the sofa in the flat she shared with Molly that night. She had moved in shortly after Molly’s younger sister Lucy moved out, hating her roommate with an undying passion.

“So… this is what you’ve been doing day in and out for the past few weeks,” Dominique said, looking over her shoulder into the kitchen. Molly walked out with two glasses of wine in hand. The two had stopped by a pub for dinner and then quickly headed home as the after work crowd started to get rowdy.

“Yes. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. Teddy wanted to keep it quiet for a bit,” she said, handing a glass to Dominique before sitting next to her.

“No harm done,” Dominique said. “How often do we have to see Abbott?”

“Oh, he’s not that bad, Dom. Takes his job quite seriously, though he prefers to be out asking questions and such. Not cooped up in the archives,” she said.

“Who would he be questioning?” Dominique asked. “Not like there are others like Aunt Iris, Daisy, and Jamie out there.”

“He’s off speaking to various scholars and such. Though carefully,” Molly said. “Can’t really let anyone in on it. He’s just been asking about ancient magic and such.” Dominique was silent for a moment.

“He might be onto something. Maybe we should be talking to scholars and writers. Anyone who has studied the topic extensively,” she said. “I mean, keep looking in the archives, of course, it’s one of our best resources. But if there is anyone we can talk to, we might as well.” 

Molly nodded slowly.

“It would get us out of the tombs for a bit,” she said. “Not that I mind it, but just might need a bit of time outside here and there.”

“Too true,” Dominique said. “And it gets us away from Teddy and Abbott,” she said. Dominique looked at Molly. “To figuring out the great mystery.” Molly laughed and clinked her glass with Dominique’s.

“To figuring out the great mystery.”


	3. Update of Sorts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Dominique settles into her new role, she sets out to make more progress than they've gotten so far.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Family/Drama  
> Rating: M (Language, Mention of abuse)

Dominique huffed as she walked down the hallway towards her aunt’s office. She wasn’t sure why they had to hand deliver regular updates to her aunt when they had found absolutely nothing. But she seemed to be outnumbered in that regard. Molly was all about putting them together and Teddy seemed keen to keep both Harry and Hermione in the loop regardless. And somehow, Dominique got saddled with taking it this time.

She stopped in front of the double doors that led into the antechamber for the Minister’s office and then pushed it open. Her scowl quickly vanished as she walked in and saw a young, handsome man with light brown hair sitting behind a desk. He looked up as she stopped and stood.

“Is there something I can help you with?” he asked formally, though a warm smile was on his face.

“Ehm, yes, I’m here to deliver a report to the Minister,” she said, stepping fully into the room and quickly rearranging her face into a less severe expression. She could feel her cheeks started to heat up.

“Oh, well then, I can take it in to her,” he said, stepping from behind the desk and walking over to Dominique. 

“I’m supposed to give it to her directly,” Dom said.

“I assure you, I will make sure that she gets it,” the man said.

“It’s of a confidential nature,” Dominique replied, starting to get a bit annoyed.

“She’s asked not to be disturbed for the next hour, so if it must be done in person, perhaps I can arrange a time for you to return-”

“Blimey, I’m her bloody niece. She’ll not mind if you let me in,” Dominique said, not particularly relishing that she had to bring up her family connection to get passed her aunt’s latest guard dog. The man’s eyebrows rose in surprise.

“Ah, well, Ms….”

“Weasley. Dominique Weasley,” she huffed.

“She had explicitly said no interruptions, so if you can wait a moment, I can try and squeeze you in later this afternoon,” he said, walking back to his desk. Dominique took the opportunity to walk over to the door leading to her aunt’s office.

“She’s expecting me, trust me,” she said before turning the knob.

“Ms. Weasley!” the man shouted, starting to come after her. Dominique pushed the door open and stepped into her aunt’s office. Hermione looked up from her desk, seemingly not expecting someone to come barging in.

“It’s fine!” Dominique yelled before shutting the door behind her. She looked over at her aunt and smiled apologetically. “Sorry about that Aunt Hermione.” The older woman relaxed and smiled, sitting back in her chair.

“It’s alright. Magnus does get a bit carried away in his duties. I’ll mention to him that family is allowed in whenever they show up and we can avoid a kerfuffle next time,” she said. She noticed the file in Dominique’s hand. “Is that the latest update on your investigation?” 

Dominique nodded and walked over, holding it out to her.

“‘Fraid it’s not much. We haven’t had much luck yet,” she said. Hermione nodded as she opened it and skimmed over the contents.

“As to be expected. It’s still early and the archives are massive,” she said with a sigh. “I do wish time was not of the essence.”

“Same here. But we’ve got Toby helping now too, so hopefully with the five of us looking into it, we’ll find something soon,” Dominique said. Hermione looked up.

“Toby? He’s been informed?” she asked, concerned.

“It really couldn’t be avoided. We need all the help we can get and he would have found out sooner or later. He is still Daisy’s best friend,” Dominique reasoned. Hermione nodded, accepting the logic.

“I just don’t want word to start spreading that some war or danger or something could be coming before we know more about what to expect,” she said wearily. “Wouldn’t do if panic broke loose among the wizarding world. Too many still remember last time.” Dominique nodded and moved to sit in the chair across from her aunt’s desk. “Care for some tea?”

“Sure,” Dominique said. Hermione waved her wand and a tea service came to life on a cart next to her desk. After it made itself, a cup drifted over to Dominique while another came to rest on Hermione’s desk.

“Between this and the forum, I’m about at my wit’s end,” Hermione admitted as she reached for her cup. “Harry’s caught up in the logistics of providing security for all of the world’s wizarding leaders and I’m trying to convince as many to come as possible, while narrowing down the topics we should discuss as well as figuring out a way to warn them about something that may or may not be coming.”

Dominique stared at her aunt, not used to seeing her so frazzled. She had always been so calm and collected. And reasonable. 

“What if… instead of warning them about something we don’t know anything about… you work to setup an international security network? Lay the groundwork for a way to make it easier and faster for various regions of the world to stay informed and work together in the event of a major disaster or security threat,” Dominique suggested. “That way, you don’t have to worry about telling them about some vague, possible attack. And honestly, it should have been done after the last war anyway.” 

Hermione froze for a moment, watching her niece. She then suddenly smiled and laughed.

“That is a very good idea. I’m not sure why I didn’t think of it,” she said, shaking her head slightly.

“You would have eventually. Just… at the moment you have a bit much on your plate,” Dominique said. 

“Have you been to see them lately?” Hermione asked, changing the subject.

“See who? Daisy and Jamie?” Dominique asked.

“Yes. I’m afraid I haven’t had much time since the accident… and I feel horrible about it,” she said. Dominique frowned.

“It’s been a while,” she said. She hadn’t spent much time at her cousins’ since she broke up with Cunningham, afraid she’d run into him there. Daisy’s team was always popping by randomly.

“Perhaps you and Molly should go over and speak with them. It might lead to some sort of idea about what to look for,” she suggested. Dominique nodded.

“Might be more beneficial to speak with Aunt Iris, to be honest,” Dominique said. “She knows more about all of this than anyone.” Hermione nodded.

“Probably should have had you lot sit down with her from the start,” she said with a sigh. Dominique studied her aunt a moment, thinking back to the memory she saw.

“Aunt Hermione, you knew Aunt Iris back then… during the second war and such,” Dominique said. Hermione looked at her and nodded.

“I did. I was staying at Grimmauld Place when she appeared,” she said.

“What did you make of her?” Dominique asked. Hermione looked confused at the line of questioning.

“She was… scared. Extremely skittish. And afraid to be around others,” she said. “Took a while before she would even come downstairs to eat meals with us all. Why do you ask?” Dominique shrugged. 

“Just trying to understand her a bit more, I suppose,” she said.

“Teddy showed you the memory, didn’t he?” Hermione asked softly. Dominique looked up at her and nodded. “It’s a bit disturbing… seeing her like that. And there’s still so much that she hasn’t shared - even with us. Took years before she told Harry most of it and he’s her nephew. I suspect it took awhile for her to open up to Oliver as well.”

“I can see why she’s so private. I never really understood why she didn’t want much mentioned about her. It frustrated me in history of magic when they didn’t even mention her in the book,” Dominique said. “Mum and Dad had told all of us growing up about how big a role she played in that last battle.” Hermione chuckled.

“Yes, it took a fair bit of work to keep her out of the press and such back then. She spent most of her life up to that point being invisible and has always been uncomfortable with perfect strangers knowing about her and her abilities,” Hermione said. “Back then… before the last battle… she couldn’t control her magic and thought she was more a danger than an asset. And was constantly worried that Voldemort and his Death Eaters would search her out if they ever knew she existed.” Dominique frowned.

“Did they ever find out? Before the battle, that is?” she asked. Hermione nodded.

“They did. There was an altercation at Hogwarts with Harry and Draco Malfoy. Iris exposed herself to Malfoy and Severus Snape was forced to tell Voldemort about her. She went into hiding again. And then Oliver got into a spot of trouble and she exposed herself to Bellatrix LeStrange and another Death Eater,” Hermione said. Dominique nodded as she took in the information.

“I’ll go talk to Daisy and Jamie this afternoon and see about speaking with Aunt Iris tomorrow,” she said. “I think it might help.” Hermione smiled and nodded.

“Let me know if there’s anything I or your Uncle Harry can do to help,” she said. Dominique stood and placed her cup on the cart.

“I will. Try not to work yourself into an early grave,” she said as she walked towards the door. She heard her aunt chuckle.

“Easier said than done some days,” she replied. Dominique stepped out and shut the door behind her. Immediately, Magnus looked up at her.

“Take it your chat went well?” he asked, smiling slightly. Dominique nodded.

“Sorry for getting a bit brusque with you earlier. Just… under a bit of a time crunch with a project Au- the Minister as assigned me,” she said. Magnus smiled warmly.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “I take it I’ll probably be seeing more of you?” Dominique flushed slightly, noticing for the first time that he had lovely light blue eyes. “Since you’re working on a special assignment for the Minister?”

“Uh, yes, I think so,” she said. “We have to deliver regular reports and all.” He nodded.

“Good,” he said. “I mean… ah…” He appeared a bit flustered and embarrassed. Dominique smiled.

“I guess I should be going then. Lot’s of work to do,” she said, stepping towards the main door.

“Yes, lots of work for me as well,” he said. “Until next time, Ms. Weasley.” Dominique nodded.

“Yes, until next time.” She stepped out and began walking quickly towards the lifts, finding she couldn’t control her smile. Maybe she wouldn’t mind delivering reports to her aunt after all.

~~~

“Take it you’ve met Magnus,” Molly said, glancing up at Dominique’s flushed face as she sat next to her in the study room of the archives cavern. 

“What on earth makes you say that?” Dominique asked, flustered.

“You’re blushing,” she replied, laughing. “He is quite handsome.”

“Who’s Magnus?” Chris asked, frowning from where he sat across from Molly.

“Ah, see you’ve decided to join us in the trenches today,” Dominique said, smirking at him. 

“He’s Aunt Hermione’s new assistant,” Molly said. “Very handsome. And efficient. I like him.”

“Like I care,” Chris said, returning to the parchments he was looking through.

“I was thinking about going to speak with Daisy and Jamie this afternoon,” Dominique said. The other three looked up at her, confused.

“Why?” Chris asked. “We’ve already talked to them and there’s not much they can give us.” Dominique shrugged. 

“I haven’t talked to them. Thought maybe it might give me some sort of hint or… something. I’m going to go speak with Aunt Iris as well. I definitely think there is more she can tell us that might help,” she said.

“I’ll go with you,” Chris said, looking back down at the parchments. Dominique frowned.

“That wasn’t an open invitation,” she said.

“You forget that I’m the only trained investigator in this bunch. You’ll need my help,” he said without looking up. Dominique rolled her eyes.

“I did have to do some investigation with my work, you know,” she said.

“She’s right. She’s actually quite good at it,” Toby chimed in. Dominique beamed at him while Chris cast a sideways glare.

“Still… I’d feel better if I went along,” Chris said, glancing over at her. “In case you miss something.” Dominique sighed.

“If you think you must,” she said. Chris nodded and returned to his work. “We’ll go after lunch. It’s the summer break in the season so they should both be there. Neither the Arrows nor Puddlemere are practicing at the moment.”

“Keep track of the quidditch schedule, do you?” Chris asked. Dominique glared at him.

“I keep track of many things, Abbott,” she said tersely.

“Play nicely, children,” Molly said, not looking up from her book. Dominique glared at her and Toby tried to stifle his laughter.

“Please Molly,” Dominique said, huffing slightly as she pulled a book over and opened it.

~~~

“You’re sure they’ll be there?” Chris asked as he and Dominique waited in line to use the Ministry floos. Dominique rolled her eyes.

“I sent an owl before lunch. They’ll be there,” she said as she stepped up to the large fireplace and grabbed a handful of floo powder. “See you there!”

She shouted the Woods’ address and threw the powder, then suddenly stepped out into the living room of the flat, quickly moving aside so that Abbott didn’t run into her. Daisy was standing in the kitchen pouring out some lemonade while Jamie was sitting on the couch, watching something on the television mounted above the fireplace.

“You’re on time,” he said, seeming a bit surprised as he turned it off with a remote. 

“Of course I am,” Dominique said with a huff as she walked over and sat in an armchair. Daisy walked over, the glasses following behind her and sat next to Jamie as Chris appeared and sat opposite Dominique.

“So… why do you want to talk to us?” Daisy asked as the glasses dispersed themselves.

“Just hoping it might spark something,” Dominique said before taking a sip. “We’re pretty much looking for a needle in a haystack in the archives as it is.”

“Really, you should be talking to Mum,” Jamie said.

“I intend to. Owled her earlier and I’m going over tomorrow morning,” she said. She locked eyes with Chris. “Alone.” He immediately frowned.

“I told you I wanted to go with you in case you miss something,” he said, sitting up.

“This is a sensitive topic for Aunt Iris. She only feels comfortable talking about it with family. Don’t worry, I’ll write up a report and if I miss something, I can go back,” she said. Jamie and Daisy smirked at each other, noting the tension between the two. Jamie cleared his throat, getting both Chris and Dominique’s attention.

“So… you wanted to ask us some questions?” he started.

“Yes,” Dominique said, sitting up and putting her glass down on the table. She reached into her purse and pulled out a notebook and quick quotes quill. “When and how exactly did your extended abilities start showing?”

Daisy looked at Jamie and motioned for him to start.

“Well… for me, it was a month or so before the Falcons’ match. Right before Christmas. I felt Lila for a bit. Her emotions, that is,” he said. “Then a few days before the match, I could feel Daisy’s anger and heard her from another room - which I hadn’t been able to do before.”

“For me, it all started the day of the match. I could feel Jamie’s uneasiness. And then I saw him get hit just before he did. Then, as you remember, I orbed to the field and stopped his fall without my wand,” she said.

“And since then?” Chris asked. Dominique glared at him for interrupting her questioning.

“Well… it was kind of like the floodgates opened, so to speak,” Jamie said. “For both of us, it was pretty overwhelming. The connections with our brothers, each other and our parents was solidified - as was mine with Lila.”

“And the hand magic came in pretty quickly after a few bumps at first,” Daisy added. “Mum’s been working with us on that. And the shields.”

“How has that been going?” Dominique asked, her brow furrowed.

“It comes and goes,” Jamie said. “We’ve managed to get up two or three at a time, but not much more. Daisy here is a bit… erratic…” Daisy scowled at him.

“Doing better than you are,” she said, her eyes flashing red as the air around her started cackling with electricity. Jamie sighed.

“As you can see… our magic is a bit more tied to our emotions. Sometimes flares up when we’re a bit… charged,” he said.

“It’s like back before we went to Hogwarts all over again,” Daisy said. “Back to not being able to control everything.”

“How so?” Dominique asked. Both siblings stared at her. “I mean… I think if I can get a better understanding of what it’s like, I might be able to better pinpoint exactly what we should be looking for in terms of our search for information.”

“The way Mum explained it is… it’s rather powerful magic. So, until we learn to control it, it’ll flare up on its own without warning,” Jamie said. “Even more so when we’re emotionally charged.”

“Luckily it’s only been small things here and there. Sparks during a fight and such. A broken dish or glass,” Daisy said, glancing at Jamie. “Nothing too big.”

“Could it get big?” Dominique asked, starting to get worried. 

“We don’t know,” Daisy said. “Mum said it could - it got big a few times with her - but she thinks because we’re older and had a handle on magic in general before all this showed up, we might be able to get better control of it sooner and avoid any disasters.”

“What happened?” Dominique asked.

“Best if Mum explains that herself when you talk to her tomorrow,” Jamie said quickly. “We might miss something or tell it wrong.”

“She’ll be able to show you as well,” Daisy added. Dominique nodded.

“Well… I think that’s all we have to ask,” Chris said, starting to get up.

“What’s it feel like? The connections?” Dominique asked suddenly.

Daisy took a deep breath and looked down at her hands, slowly letting it out.

“It a way, it’s like this string or something connecting you to someone,” she said, looking up. “Constantly pulsing with… whatever that person is feeling.”

“Daisy’s still learning to turn it off,” Jamie explained, softly. “Having a rather rough go of it.” He looked down at his sister, his concern obvious.

“Get a lot of worry from this one. And Remus and Alan as well. Though, I prefer being around Alan the most. He’s at least cheerful most of the time,” she said.

“It’s a bit different for me, since I can hear thoughts,” he said. “I know where everyone is at all times when we’re in the same building.”

“I can’t hear their thoughts… but I can sense when they’re nearby. Usually because I can feel them,” Daisy added.

“I can switch back and forth. Turn both on and off,” Jamie said. “It’s the same as when I use my Legilimens.” Dominique nodded. “Mum says I should be able to project thoughts at a distance, as well. At least, she did it once. Sent a message to Harry.” Dominique thought a moment and then nodded.

“Well then, I think that’s all I have for now. I may pop by again if I think of something else or if I come across something useful,” she said. “May start looking into past research on Legilimens and hand magic. See if it pops up anything interesting.”

“If you find something that could help us in our training, do you mind passing it on?” Jamie asked. 

“Of course,” Dominique replied. “Best be off.” She stood and Chris followed suit. They both grabbed handfuls of floo powder and were off.

“That was helpful,” she said as they started walking towards the lifts to go back to the archives.

“How exactly?” Chris asked. She frowned at him.

“I know a bit more of what I should be looking for,” she said. “If we start looking into their specific abilities, maybe we’ll come across something helpful.” Chris nodded.

“Alright then, lead the way.”


	4. Journey to the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dominique is left troubled after learning more about her aunt's past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Family/Drama  
> Rating: M (Language, Mention of abuse)

Dominique could not lie - she was a bit nervous speaking with her aunt that morning. After seeing her memory and talking to other family members about her, she felt as though she treading into uncharted territory. Discussing her past that had long been hidden from most of the family, even Iris’ own children.

But if they were going to understand who they were and what they could do - and what this meant for the future of the wizarding world - it needed to be done. 

Dominique straightened her robes and skirt then stepped into the fireplace in her and Molly’s apartment, shouting her aunt’s address. When she stepped out of the fireplace in the living room of the elder Woods’ giant country house, it was empty, though she could smell coffee.

“In here!” she heard Iris yell from the kitchen. Dominique turned and walked out of the living room, through the hall and into the giant kitchen. “Figured you’d might like some coffee,” Iris said from where she stood at the pot. She was dressed casually in a pair of white crop pants and a loose gray blouse, her still vibrant red curls pulled back into a low ponytail, no doubt to keep it out of the way while she worked at her potions for the shop. She looked much younger than her 51 years. For a moment, Dominique wondered if this was how Harry’s mother Lily would have looked now if she survived.

“That sounds wonderful,” Dominique said with a smile. “I didn’t get a chance to have any this morning, I was in such a rush.”

“Figured as much. You lot at the Ministry are always in a hurry,” Iris said with a smile, holding out a steaming mug. Dominique accepted it. 

“Where’s Uncle Oliver?” Dom asked, not quite used to be alone with her aunt. Her parents had been close to her and her husband, but she had never been too terribly close to the Woods herself - due in large part to the triplets enjoying her and Molly as frequent prank victims at school. She realized this was probably the first time she had ever been alone with Iris.

“Off to the field to plot out the summer practice schedule,” Iris said, walking passed Dominique. “Let’s chat in the living room. It’s more comfortable.” Dominique followed her and they both sat on the large comfy sofa. 

“See the triplets talked you into a television too,” Dominique said, glancing up at the monstrosity on the wall above the fireplace. Iris chuckled.

“It was my birthday present from them,” she said. “Took some time, but Oliver’s gotten used to it. Spends a lot of time watching football.”

“Why am I not surprised that Uncle Oliver took to watching sport?” Dominique said with a slight roll of her eyes.

“I wasn’t either,” Iris replied. “But gives the boys and their father something more to talk about than quidditch.” Dominique nodded.

“Thanks for agreeing to speak with me today,” she asked, a bit unsure how to ease into the conversation.

“Don’t even think about it. You’re family. And whatever this is, it seems to be centered around me, Jamie, and Daisy,” she said, furrowing her brow slightly. Dominique nodded.

“I suppose it’s best to just get into. If there’s anything you don’t want to talk about, just let me know,” she said, quickly. Iris smiled sadly.

“At this point it’s time to get it all out in the open. If it’ll help,” she said with a sigh. “Suppose some secrets aren’t meant to be kept for too long.”

“I know the most of it - your gifts started showing a different times, some from birth, some later,” Dominique started. Iris nodded.

“I orbed for the first time when I was 9. I wasn’t really thinking of a specific place, I just… wanted to be somewhere safe. And it was like… the magic took over. The next thing I knew, I was in an alley far away from Godric’s Hollow,” she said.

“Was it like that other times?” Dominique asked. “Like… the magic just took over?”

“Yes… I remember the first time I created a shield - or I suppose that’s what it was. To be honest, back then when I couldn’t control it, I would often go into a sort of trance. And I can’t really recall anything that happened,” she said. “I can show you, if you like.”

Dominique nodded and sat up.

“Do you… need to hold my hand or something?” she asked. Iris laughed softly and shook her head.

“No, just relax,” she said. Dominique took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

Suddenly, she was no longer sitting in the Woods’ living room but standing in a dark alley in Diagon Alley. Young Iris was standing up against a wall shivering as tears streamed down her face. She looked exactly like she had in the Hall of Prophecy. Dominique gathered that this must be right after she left.

“‘Ello there, little girl. What you doin’ here alone?” a voice said. Iris looked to her right, eyes widening as a menacing man stood there, blocking her way out. Iris swallowed and looked down at her hands, her expression clearly showing that she didn’t know what was going on. 

“Please, don’t come any closer,” she said, looking back up at the man. She grimaced as though she felt a flash of pain. The man stepped closer.

“Are you alright, m’dear?” he asked, though the tone of his voice betrayed the fact that he wasn’t interested in Iris’ well being.

“Please, I beg you, just leave,” Iris said, panting slightly, the panic clear in her voice. Her hands began to shake. “Something’s happening.” An odd look came over the man’s face.

“It’s alright, I won’t hurt you,” he said, reaching out and grabbing her arm.

“No! Don’t!” she shouted. Suddenly, her entire body went rigid as her eyes flashed. There was a bright flash of light, one so bright that Dominique had to cover her eyes. She looked around and noticed that several boxes in the alley were thrown back. She looked back over at Iris. She was no longer rigid, but now stood shaking as she looked down at the man who was strewn on the dirty ground of the alley, his eyes closed.

“What… what have I done?” Iris whispered, panic in her voice. She looked around the alley frantically and then disappeared.

Dominique blinked her eyes as she found herself back in the living room, Iris looking at her with a furrowed brow.

“Did you… was he dead?” she asked softly. Iris shrugged.

“I don’t know… I obviously didn’t stay long enough to find out,” she said, looking down at her coffee mug. “There was another time that I lost it at Hogwarts. I don’t remember what happened exactly, but… Harry could tell you. Or maybe show you. He was there and saw it all. He said I went into a trance and kept repeating ‘He must be protected.’”

“That doesn’t happen anymore, does it?” Dominique asked.

“Thank god, no,” Iris said, finally looking up at her. “Once I gained control of it, I don’t have anymore episodes where it tried to take over.”

“You kept looking at your hands and it seemed there was… a pain… of sorts…”

“Yes… my hands started feeling unnaturally warm. And there was a shock that went through my body. It started in the mark on my back,” Iris explained. “When it would start… it would start from my back and then spread out… it felt… like water coming to a boil.”

The two sat in silence a moment, collecting their thoughts. 

“Why do you think it showed up when it did?” Dominique asked. “Why some of the abilities you had from birth and others came later?” Iris shrugged.

“I’m not sure. I wish I knew. And I wish I had gotten some of them sooner,” she said, frowning at her coffee mug again. Dominique remembered the red stripe she saw on Iris’ neck in the first memory. Part of her wanted to ask, but the other was worried she would be treading onto ground she shouldn’t.

“I was whipped by the man who had taken me in a few weeks before that incident took place. The wounds were still healing,” Iris said softly, reading Dominique’s mind. The younger woman gulped.

“Was it terribly hard for you?” she asked softly. 

“Yes, I suppose it was,” Iris said. “During that time… All I knew is that I couldn’t be me - Iris. I was, someone else. And I did that for so long, it was almost as though I was forgetting who I was… They - the people who hurt me - they didn’t know. It makes my blood curl to think what they would have done if they found out.”

“How do you mean?” Dominique asked. Iris looked up at her.

“I was at Malfoy Manor for two years. Lucius Malfoy was the one who whipped me,” she said. “It wasn’t until right before I ran away that I knew he was a Death Eater, but… if I hadn’t been in disguise or if he had figured out… Or even if more of my gifts had shown up at the wrong time… Things would have gone a lot differently.

“But… they didn’t and I escaped. And then I was on my own for 10 years in the muggle world. I mostly kept to myself - though I did make a few friends. I practiced when I could, learned to… well, I’m not sure if I taught myself or if it just came to me, but I managed to figure out how to use my magic. I started feeling Harry and looking out for him when I could - always from the shadows, mind you - and then… Dumbledore found me.”

Dominique studied her aunt for a moment, having difficulty reconciling what she saw in her memories and the woman she had known growing up. She was always warm, smiling. Taking in strays, as she called it. Cooking large, fantastic feasts and trading jabs with Uncle George. Creating amazing things for the shop she helped him run. It was hard to imagine her as a scared, frantic young girl who didn’t understand what was happening to her.

“I know… I seem so different now,” Iris said, smiling slightly. “I scarce believe who I was either.”

“How did you get control of it?” Dominique asked.

“I’m not sure. I tried to use too much of it too soon and it put me in a coma for over a year,” she said. “I woke up during the Battle of Hogwarts.”

“Would you mind too terribly if you showed me?” Dominique asked. “I’m just… I want to better understand what it is you can do.” Iris nodded.

“Just… are you sure?” she asked. Dominique took a deep breath.

“I’m ready.”

Suddenly, Dominique was there in Hogwarts over 20 years ago. She saw Iris talking to Harry, who looked much younger than Dominique was. She was shocked. She knew he was only 17 at the time, but seeing it was something else. 

Then there was waiting with Hermione and Ron - both so young as well. Harry’s death. The moment Iris realized he was still alive. Everyone pouring out of the castle. The final fight. Dominique stood watching everything play out, her mouth hanging open as shield after shield appeared, protecting so many. Iris - older now - battling with Death Eaters while simultaneously shielding everyone in the courtyard. Out of the corner of her eye, Dominique caught glimpses of her own parents fighting. But she couldn’t look away from Iris.

It was equal parts amazing and terrifying watching her, her long red curls flying around her. Her green eyes glowing unnaturally. It was like no magic Dominique had ever seen. The ferocious look on her face as she squared off with one tall, blonde Death Eater was deadly serious.

“ _You can’t save everyone, Iris_ ,” the man called out.

“ _Watch me,_ ” she said.

“ _Like you tried to save Wood? You weren’t here earlier to save him!_ ” the man called back. A look of panic came over Iris’ face, but was quickly replaced with one of determination. Dominique knew that her uncle had survived - he was elsewhere in the castle at that moment, but she didn’t know where. However, she couldn’t imagine what Iris must have gone through in that moment, thinking he was dead.

“ _Wrong move,_ ” Iris said. She then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. As she exhaled, it was like a wind rushed out from her - power coming from her very being. It hit the man, turning him to stone and then blasting him to bits.

Dominique blinked and she was back in the living room. Birds were chirping just outside the window. It was such a change from the scenes she had just seen that it took a bit for her to acclimate.

“How did you get through all that? How did any of you?” Dominique asked, looking up at her aunt, tears in her eyes. Hearing the stories were one thing - seeing it was something completely different. She decided right then and there she was going to her parents’ house that night and hugging both of them.

“Time,” Iris said, a sad smile on her face. “And the hope that we would never have to go through something like that again. That our children wouldn’t face the horrors that we did.” She wiped away a lone tear than fell down her cheek. “I have all this power and… I somehow can’t save them from that.”

Dominique reached out and took her aunt’s hand.

“We will find out what all this means. And we will stop it from happening,” she said seriously. Iris looked at her, her eyes bright with unshed tears.

“I hope so,” she said softly. “God, I hope so.”

~~~

Dominique sat in Teddy’s office, chewing her bottom lip as she mentally went over everything she had learned from her aunt that morning. She wanted to know more, but felt like she could only take so much at a time. She left, giving her aunt a tight hug and then promising to come back next week - hopefully with something to share that she had found.

She then went to the Ministry and straight to Teddy’s office rather than the archives, begging him to give her about 30 minutes alone to process what she had learned and seen. He did so without question, noting her pale pallor. She had seen Chris come in and start to make for the office, though Teddy stopped him thankfully.

A knock on the door drew Dominique from her thoughts. She looked up and saw Molly and Teddy peering at her through the glass, their faces silently questioning if they could come in. She nodded.

“How did it go?” Molly asked. “Did you learn anything that might help us?” Dominique sighed.

“I saw quite a lot. How it helps us, I’m still not sure,” she said, her brow furrowed.

“What did you talk about?” Teddy asked.

“How her gifts showed up… the war,” Dominique said. “She showed me her memories…”

“Oh dear,” Molly said as she moved over and sat in the chair in front of Teddy’s desk. “How was that?”

“Difficult,” Dominique said, staring into the space in front of her. “I never realized how young Uncle Harry, Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron were. How young they all were. Aunt Iris couldn’t have been but a couple years older than us.”

“She showed you her memories from the battle?” Teddy asked. Dominique nodded, still not looking up at them.

“I wanted to see how her magic worked. So she showed me… it was… I’ve never seen anything like it,” she said. “With us, you have to… wave a wand a certain way… say an incantation… but with her… it was like it… flowed out from her very being. Not so much magic was in her… she was pure magic.” She looked up at both of them. “It was terrible, but wonderful all at the same time.”

Molly and Teddy stared at her, their faces grim.

“What if that happens again? A war? It was… it was terrible to see… I don’t want want to live it. I don’t want our parents to live it again,” Dominique said, tears starting to fill her eyes. “We must stop this - whatever it is.”

“Don’t worry, Dom,” Teddy said, his face set in steely determination. “We will.”

~~~

“What’s this? Did I miss your owl?” Fleur said when Dominique walked into the kitchen at Shell Cottage that night. Dominique stared at her mother a moment. She was older, her face finally giving in to time with a few delicate wrinkles around her eyes. Her hair was still blonde and her eyes bright. Flashes of her younger self flew in Dominique’s mind, still reeling from the images Iris had showed her earlier that day.

She rushed over and hugged her mother fiercely, tears already springing in her eyes.

“Dominique, what is wrong?” she asked. She pulled away and searched her youngest daughter’s face. “Did something happen at work today?” Dominique sniffled slightly.

“Did I hear you say Dom is here?” a voice said. Dominique looked over as her father walked into the room. He was still tall, still ruggedly handsome with his cheek scarred. His hair still long though peppered with gray. Dominique whimpered and then ran over to him, throwing herself into his arms. He looked over at his wife, silently asking her what was wrong. Fleur just shrugged.

“Dom? What’s gotten into you?” Bill asked, looking down at his daughter as she struggled to stem the tears. She looked up at him.

“I visited with Aunt Iris this morning and she showed me… the battle, and, and… All I could think about was getting here to hug you both,” she said before burying her face in her father’s chest. Bill chuckled as he rubbed her back.

“Dom, that was a long time ago,” he said softly. “And as you can see, we both survived.”

“I know, but seeing it…” she sobbed. Bill shared a look with his wife, who walked over. “I know that I can’t let that happen again. I don’t want us to lose anyone else in our family.”

“Oh, Dominique, we won’t,” Fleur said soothingly. “We are more prepared this time. Whatever is coming, we will face it and we will win.” Dominique let go over her father and looked over at her mother. She wiped at her face.

“You’re right,” she said, calming down. “Of course we will… we have Iris, Daisy and Jamie this time.” She looked up at her father. “I saw what Aunt Iris did. If we have all three of them… I don’t see how any foe could stand a chance.”

“That was a quick about face,” her father commented with a smile. “Since you’re here, care to join us for dinner?” Dominique grinned.

“I’d love to.”


	5. Back to Basics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Daisy struggles to gain control over her new gifts, it creates a rift between her and John as well as her brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Family/Drama  
> Rating: M (Language, Mention of abuse)

“Very good, Daisy!” Iris said as they stood in the backyard. Daisy had managed to produce a shield around Jamie and herself simultaneously. “Now… your other brothers.”

Daisy looked to her left, seeing Alan and Remus standing and looking bored. She closed her eyes and reached inside, feeling the power swirling within her. She then pushed out with all the mental force that she could, imagining translucent orbs enveloping her brothers.

It had been a couple months now that Daisy and Jamie had been working with Iris attempting to harness the various abilities. Both had gotten good at orbing and wandless magic by now – barely having to think about it. But creating shields was proving more difficult. They could protect themselves easy enough, but when it came to protecting others it got tricky.

They could do about two or so at a time, but Daisy was finding it difficult to focus. She could either produce a shield or fire off a hex, but not both at once. And she struggled to get more than two going.

Iris had taken to having Alan and Remus stand in so the two could practice shielding others. As it was often slow work, they ended up just standing there most of the time waiting for one or the other to envelope them in an orb of sorts. Iris did her best to keep both Daisy and Jamie encouraged, but she could tell Daisy was becoming more and more frustrated.

Having Remus make snide comments about how he’d rather be anywhere else but there certainly wasn’t helping. He was becoming increasingly disgruntled with every lesson he was required to attend.

“Almost got it,” she heard her mother say.

“How much longer do we have to stand here as guinea pigs?” Remus asked.

“Remus,” Iris warned. Daisy could feel her hold starting to falter. “Just focus, Daisy. You’re almost there.”

“Kind of hard when Remus won’t shut it,” Daisy griped.

“Just, we don’t have any special powers, so I don’t understand why we need to waste time out of our days here,” Remus replied.

“Remus!” Iris shouted. Daisy grunted slightly as she felt her hold come completely undone. She opened her eyes and glared at her brother. “I told you, we need you all to help them. They need to be able to create and hold multiple shields at once.”

“Well, we’re obviously not helping much,” Remus said.

“Maybe if you stopped complaining so much I could concentrate. That would help loads,” Daisy shouted.

“Oh maybe you’re just not meant to get it,” Remus shouted. Daisy’s eyes flashed red.

“Remus, mate. I think you ought to back up a bit,” Alan said softly, starting to back up himself.

“Christ, Alan. She’ll throw a hex and Mum’ll undo it. Nothing we haven’t seen before,” Remus said. Daisy felt something bubble in her as she began silently fuming. It started in her core and then quickly spread throughout.

“Just shut up, Remus,” Daisy said, her eyes starting to glow unnaturally.

“Why, Daisy?! Because quite honestly I’m sick of all this,” he said, starting to walk towards her.

“Remus, seriously, do you not see what she’s doing?” Alan said. Jamie and Iris started moving towards her.

“She’s fine, Alan,” Remus shouted looking back at him.

“Daisy, darling, come back to us,” Iris said cautiously.

“Stop coddling her, Mum,” Remus said.

At that moment, something snapped inside Daisy.

“Remus just shut it!” she shouted. There was a rush of wind that seemed to fly from her. Remus turned to look at her just as it hit him, launching him about five feet into the air. Just as it started to reach Alan, Iris threw up a shield around him as he watched his brother fly passed him and hit the ground with a thud.

Iris, Jamie and Alan were silent as Daisy started breathing heavily. Her eyes returned to normal as she realized what she did. She looked up at Alan, whose eyes were wide with fear. She then looked over at her mother and Jamie, both worried. Jamie ran over to Remus and started to help him up. Tears started pricking her eyes as she watched Jamie try to take stock of whatever injuries Remus might have. Remus, on the other hand, just glared at his sister.

“You okay?” Jamie asked Remus. Iris started walking over to Daisy.

“Darling-”

“Don’t touch me!” Daisy shouted. She then disappeared.

“Nice work, Remus,” Alan said, glaring at him.

“What’s that supposed to mean? She threw me in the air!” he shouted.

“Because you goaded her. Couldn’t you just lay off a bit?” Jamie said. Remus scowled at him and stalked off into the house.

“Sorry. Didn’t realize the little princess had such a short fuse,” he called out behind him. Iris sighed as she watched him go.

“What are we going to do with him?” she muttered to herself.

“He’s just… I suppose he’s a bit jealous,” Alan said. “He’ll get over it soon enough.”

“You think?” Jamie asked, looking over at Alan.

“We can only hope. Otherwise the flat’s gonna get a mite too unbearable,” he said. Jamie sigh.

“Maybe you should go patch him up, Alan? Don’t think he’ll care too much to see me,” he said. Alan nodded.

“Don’t worry, I’ll talk to him,” he said before walking into the house. Jamie looked at his mother, whose brow was furrowed.

“I’ve never seen him like this before,” she said softly. “He’s always been so… happy-go-lucky. Where is this anger coming from?”

“Years of everyone overlooking him and Alan for me and Daisy, I suspect,” Jamie said. Iris looked at him.

“And here I thought once you all became adults I would worry less about you,” she said with a sigh.

“Please, Mum. We both know there’s no way you’d ever stop worrying about us,” he said with a smile. Iris chuckled and looked back towards the house.

“Suppose I should go check on him. Can you go see to your sister? Make sure she doesn’t blow up the flat or something,” she asked. Jamie nodded.

“Don’t worry, I’ll calm her down.”

~~~

Daisy reappeared in the middle of flat and immediately started pacing.

“Oh, there you are. Thought you guys were supposed to be back about 30 minutes ago,” John said, walking out into the living room. Daisy stopped pacing and stared at her boyfriend, shocked. She had completely forgotten he was coming over for dinner that night.

“Ah, I’m so sorry. Must of slipped my mind,” she said. John sighed.

“Where are the triplets?” he asked.

“They should be coming soon,” she said. “I think, anyway.”

“Where are you guys always popping off to?” John asked.

“Just, ehm, helping Mum out with some stuff,” Daisy said, walking over to the kitchen. John studied her and then grabbed her arm, spinning her around to face him.

“Where did you get that bruise?” he asked, looking at her cheek. Daisy’s eyebrows flew up and she touched her cheek gently. She hadn’t realized she had it, but must have been from when she was working with her mother and Jamie. Her mother had Remus and Alan throwing things at them, thinking it would help quicken their reaction time with creating shields.

“Must have gotten in it practice,” she said, shaking her head and turning to walk to the fridge. John sighed.

“As I recall, you weren’t working with the beaters today,” he said.

“Well, I’m sorry. I’m not sure how I got it,” she said, pulling a bottle of water out of the fridge.

“What sort of thing were you helping out with?” John asked, leaning against the fridge.

“Just stuff. Clearing out the garden and the attic,” Daisy said offhandedly.

“You’ve been going over there after practice nearly every day for the past couple of months,” he said. “Can’t imagine she would have that much work for you to do.”

“It’s a big house,” Daisy said, starting to get annoyed.

“You sure there’s nothing you want to tell me?” he asked. Daisy sighed.

“I don’t understand why you’re acting all suspicious,” she said, walking passed him and towards the living room.

“Let’s see… ever since the accident you and your family have gone all hush hush. You keep running off to your parents’ house. And you won’t say anything about it. Sorry if that makes me a bit suspicious,” he said, tersely. Daisy sighed and spun around.

“I’m sorry I don’t inform you of all the minute details of my family life. How’s this? Mum had us degnome the garden and one of the buggers got me in the cheek. Jamie got bite twice while Alan and Remus challenged each other to gnome-off. There. Now you’re informed,” she said harshly.

“Right. If that’s what happened then why didn’t you just say so from the beginning? Need time to concoct your story?” he asked.

“Merlin, this is the last thing I need right now,” Daisy said, starting to pace again.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Didn’t realized degnoming a garden was so stressful,” he shouted.

“You have no idea what I’m going through right now.”

“I know, because you won’t tell me!”

“You don’t have to know everything, John!”

“Well apparently Lila gets to know, so forgive me if I’m left here wondering why the woman who tried to destroy your family twice gets let in on the big secret but I have to stay in the dark!”

“How many times do we have to have the same damn argument over and over!” Daisy shouted, starting to lose her cool again. Behind her the windows started to shake slightly as her eyes flashed between green and red – almost as though they were some sort of possessed Christmas lights.

“Until you tell me what’s going on!” John shouted back. “I thought I was close to your family. Don’t I have a right to know?!”

“I told you I don’t want to talk about it!” Daisy shouted. Suddenly the windows all exploded in, showering the living room in shards. John jumped back, his eyes wide as they fell on Daisy.

“Did you do that?” he asked softly. Daisy looked at the windows, finding it hard to breath. She looked back at John, silent. “Your cheek is bleeding.” Daisy put her hand to her cheek and quickly ran passed him to her room, slamming the door shut behind her.

“Daisy! Let me help you!” he shouted as he walked back and pounded on the door. “Daisy!”

A muffled “Leave me alone” came from within.

“Blimey? What happened?”

John stopped pounding and walked back into the living room, seeing a confused Jamie standing there, looking around at the mess. John sighed and shrugged.

“We got into another fight and then… the windows exploded,” he said. Jamie sighed.

“She’s been under a lot of stress lately,” he said.

“Yea, I know,” John replied. “What I don’t know is why.”

“Look, you just have to trust us on this. We’ll tell you when it’s time to know,” Jamie said. “In the meantime, could you please try and take it a bit easier on her?”

“Should have figured you’d take her side,” John said. Jamie scowled at him.

“She is my sister,” he said, his voice going cold.

“Whatever. I’m out of here,” John said before turning and leaving through the front door.

“What the bloody hell happened?”Alan asked as he and Remus appeared. Jamie sighed.

“John was waiting when she got back. They fought and apparently this happened,” he said. “Help me clean it up?” Remus started to say something, but Alan scowled at him and hit him in the arm. Remus frowned at him and then sighed.

“Shouldn’t take long with the three of us,” he said. They made quick work of cleaning up the glass and replacing it in the windows.

“Reckon one of you should talk to her. She probably won’t be too keen on seeing me at the moment,” Remus said, glancing between Jamie and Alan.

“Let’s both go,” Alan said. Jamie nodded and the two of them walked back. Jamie lightly knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Daisy said. Jamie pushed the door open and he and Alan stepped in. Daisy was sitting on her bed, hugging a pillow in front of her. Her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks wet. “I’m sorry about the windows,” she said, sniffling. “I’ll clean it up.”

“It’s alright. We’ve taken care of it,” Alan said, sitting next to her on the bed.

“Oh… sorry again,” she said.

“Daisy, you don’t have to be sorry. We know that you’re struggling to control it,” Jamie said softly. Daisy gulped.

“But I shouldn’t be,” she said. “You don’t break stuff when you get angry.”

“Thank Merlin for that,” Alan muttered. Jamie shot him a look as Daisy appeared even more miserable.

“I just… I don’t know why it happens. I try to stay calm and keep it under control, but something just… snaps,” she said. She looked up . “Did I hurt Remus too badly?”

“A couple bumps, but he’s fine,” Alan said. “Git deserved it. He was being a prat.”Daisy looked over at him.

“But I could have seriously hurt him,” Daisy said. Alan chuckled.

“His head is so thick, I highly doubt you’d of done much damage,” he said. “He’s out in the living room now, doing just fine.”

“He must hate me, though,” Daisy said glumly.

“He doesn’t hate you, Daisy. None of us do,” Jamie said softly. “Think you could come out?” Daisy nodded and stood, putting the pillow back on the bed. She followed Jamie out, with Alan falling behind her.

Once they stepped out into the living room, Remus looked up from where he was sitting on the sofa. One look at how miserable Daisy was, and whatever anger he had felt earlier seemed to have melted.

“Come here, Pix,” he said, motioning her over. Daisy ran over and threw herself on her older brother.

“I’m so sorry, Remus!” she said, starting to cry again.

“There, there, Pix. I’m not not hurt,” he said.

“I shouldn’t have gotten so angry!” she wailed, causing Remus to chuckle.

“Well, I shouldn’t have been snipping at you,” he replied. Daisy looked up at him, her eyes a dull gray. “From here out, let’s try and be a bit nicer, yea?” She nodded as she hiccuped slightly.

“Evening, Woods!” Wills shouted as he waltzed into the apartment. “What’s this? What have you done to upset my dear Pixie?”

“Nothing, just a small sibling spat, but seems to have been dealt with,” Alan said, smiling. Wills nodded.

“Where’s John? Though we were all doing dinner here?” he said, looking around.

“I don’t remember inviting you,” Jamie said, smiling slightly.

“You didn’t. I invited myself. What are we eating?” he asked, grinning.

“Ehm, how about Remus and I go get some takeout?” Alan said. “We’re all a bit beat and I don’t think anyone is in the mood to cook.” Remus nodded and stood.

“Sounds good to me,” Wills said, walking over and sitting next to Daisy. “Shall we watch a movie while we wait?” She smiled and nodded as she mopped her face.

“What do you want to watch?” she asked, reaching over to pick up the remote.

“Something funny,” Wills said, making himself comfortable as he swung an arm around Daisy’s shoulder. She settled in next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder and started to scroll through various movies.

Jamie watched the two as they chatted about different movies.

“You ever think Pix never formed a connection with John because she’s meant to have one with him?” Alan asked softly. Jamie looked at his brother and chuckled.

“That would be a hilarious twist of fate,” Remus said.

“But I doubt it,” Jamie said, looking back at them. “Though if it is, Dad is going to be pissed.”


	6. The Arrow Shoots Straight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another moment where Daisy loses controls leads to yet another argument.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Family/Drama  
> Rating: M (Language, Mention of abuse)

The next morning, Daisy was the first one in the Arrows locker room. She quickly set about to getting out of her street clothes and pulling on her practice gear. She was still a bit shaken up from yesterday, but she couldn’t let it get to her. The season was starting up in nearly two months and she needed to make sure that she had a firm grip on her new abilities before then.

The last thing Daisy needed was to lose it on the pitch and end up blowing up half the stands.

“Daisy?” a voice said to her right. Daisy looked over, seeing a forlorn John standing just inside the door. She raised her eyebrows in acknowledgement. “I just… I’m sorry about yesterday.” She sighed and nodded.

“I’m sorry as well. I shouldn’t have lost my temper like that,” she said. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.” John walked over to her.

“You don’t frighten me. Frustrate me sometimes, but you’ll never frighten me,” he said softly, a small smile on his lips. Daisy laughed softly.

“You’ve been a fair bit frustrating yourself,” she said, looking up at him. John nodded.

“I’ll try to work on that,” he said.

“Good,” Daisy said. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.

“You know Coach’ll have your heads if he finds out you’re snogging in the locker room,” Kelly said as he walked in, grinning. Both John and Daisy looked over at him.

“You say a word and I will tell him about what you and Lucy were up to in here that week before the finals,” Daisy said, smirking. Kelly blanched slightly.

“Then I suppose we’re even,” he said, quickly getting to work putting his practice gear on.

~~~

Daisy was grateful for the break practice gave her from the worries of her life. At least on the pitch she could focus on the task at hand and for the most part none of her new abilities seem to give her trouble.

Nilsson had her working on new tricks for the upcoming season, feeling the motto the bigger the better was the only way to go. She had just finished warming up with some of her usual tricks and was waiting on him to finish with the beaters so he could go over some of his plans. She was sitting on her broom, watching the chasers below as they flew through a new formation.

“Wood!”

Daisy looked over and saw Nilsson back on the ground in front of the home team hoops, waving her over. She quickly flew down and landed.

“Yes, Coach?” she said.

“Ready to run some plays?” he asked. She nodded and smiled.

“What do you have in mind? New tricks?” she asked. He looked up as Kelly scored on Bray.

“Let’s work on defense a bit. See how close to the chasers you can get,” he said, looking back down at her. She smiled and nodded.

“Yes, Coach.”

She turned and hopped on her broom, smoothly flying up. She did a slow loop around the field, searching for an opening. Cunningham and Wright crossed each other, passing the quaffle while Kelly flew underneath. Daisy grinned as she made a hard left and dove down, spiraling towards the players.

“DAISY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!” Cunningham yelled as she squeezed in between him and Kelly, effectively throwing him off and causing the pass to go wide. She laughed as she swung back around and prepared for another pass.

“You trying to kill us?” Kelly yelled.

“Just following orders,” Daisy said, smiling. She rounded the pitch and started flying towards them again.

Without warning, Daisy felt her chest constrict. No. Not again. She gripped her broom as she saw the pitch at Wigtown. Remus and Alan were sending bludgers at the chasers when one kicked it out of the way, sending it into the hoops. It bounced off and hit Remus, causing him to pitch forward off his broom, down 100 feet to the field below.

Suddenly she was back on the field and about to collide head on with Kelly.

“Remus!” she shouted.

“Daisy!” Kelly yelled. Just as she was about to hit him, she disappeared. Kelly pulled to a stop and looked around.

“Where’s Daisy?” Nilsson shouted.

“She shouted Remus and just… how could she apparate like that mid-flight?” Kelly shouted. They all looked at John, who seemed just as confused as the rest of them.

“I… she… I don’t know,” he said.

**~~~**

Daisy blinked and suddenly she was on the pitch at Wigtown. Shouts rose up around her as she dodged through the chasers and saw the bludger ricochet off the hoop. She sped over and whipped behind Remus, kicking the bludger away with all her might. It shot off over the stands.

“What in Merlin’s name, Daisy!” Remus shouted as he flew up to her. She was panting as she looked around, noticing the entire team had flown up, curious about the sudden appearance of the youngest Wood in her Arrows practice kit.

“I, I… I saw the bludger… you fell 100 feet,” she said, looking at her brother.

“You saw that? Just now?” Alan asked. She nodded.

“WOODS! WHAT IS GOING ON! WHY WEREN’T YOU WATCHING YOUR BACK, REMUS!” Diggle shouted as he flew up to the hovering team. “What are you doing here, Daisy?” She looked desperately at Remus and Alan, not sure what to say.

“Good thing she showed up when she did. A fall like that could put you out a few days or weeks,” Alistair said.

“Still doesn’t answer my question. Why are you here, Daisy?” Diggle repeated.

“She’s been practicing her orbing and must have accidentally showed up in the wrong place. Happens from time to time,” Alan said, hoping the team would believe it.

“On a broomstick?” Diggle asked. Daisy nodded, unable to speak. Diggle sighed. “Alright then. Best get back to Appleby.”

“Yes, sir,” she said, finally finding her voice.

“The rest of you, back to work!”

The other players flew off as Daisy looked at Remus and Alan.

“I didn’t realize I did it,” she said.

“It’s alright, Daisy. Just… try to watch it next time,” Alan said. “Though that was pretty fantastic. Orbing mid-flight… I can barely apparate while walking.” She nodded. Remus was frowning at her.

“Remus?”

“Next time you get one of those funny feelings in your chest about me on the pitch, do me a favor and ignore it,” he said. Daisy furrowed her brow.

“I just wanted to help,” she said.

“What’s gotten into you?” Alan asked, glaring at Remus.

“Bad enough we had to deal with Mum popping up. Now we’ve got Daisy. And she can’t even control it,” he said. Daisy frowned at him, starting to feel her irritation flare up.

“If it weren’t for me you’d be on the pitch with a broken neck,” she said, her voice rising.

“I’d be just fine without you,” Remus spat.

“Well, fine. Next time I’ll just let you break your neck then!”

“Good! Stay off our pitch!”

Daisy huffed and took off down the field. About halfway there, she disappeared. Alan stared after her, in awe a moment before he turned to his brother.

“Do you really have to be such a prat?” he spat at him.

“How is that being a prat? It’s true! She could have hurt someone popping in like that,” Remus said.

“I think the only damage here is your pride and you need to get over that,” Alan said, scowling as he flew off.

~~~

“Where the hell did you go, Daisy!” Nilsson yelled as soon as she reappeared on the pitch. She landed and looked around at the confused faces of her teammates, trying to think of what to say.

“I… I’m not sure what happened,” she lied. “I somehow ended up at Wigtown.” Nilsson looked down at her, not sure if he wanted to believe her or not.

“How did you end up there?” Kelly asked. Daisy shrugged.

“Just… one second I was flying here and the next I was there,” she said feebly. She could see Kelly wanted to push her on it. He started to open his mouth but Nilsson stopped him.

“Whatever that was, please try not to do it during a match. The last thing we need is our seeker disappearing mid-game or the other team accusing you of using your wand,” he said. Daisy nodded.

“Yes, Coach,” she said. Nilsson looked around.

“Back up in the air,” he ordered.

“Yes, Coach!” they all yelled.

~~~

John was the only one sitting on the bench in the locker room when Daisy came out from the showers, tying her hair up.

“Do you have to go to your mom’s tonight?” he asked, looking up at her. She shook her head no. “Thought we could do dinner at my place.”

She smiled and nodded.

“Something tells me I should avoid Remus for a bit,” she said, packing her bag up.

“Why?” John asked.

“Didn’t seem too thrilled with me after I showed up at Wigtown,” she said, hoisting her bag on her shoulder. “But I’d rather not talk about it right now.” She looked up at John and smiled. “Ready?”

“Let’s go.”

~~~

Daisy was curled up on John’s sofa while he finished up the cooking. A movie was playing on the TV. She sat up and reached for her glass of wine, taking a drink before setting it back down.

“So… what exactly happened?” John asked, walking into the living room with two plates of pasta. He handed one to Daisy and sat next to her. Daisy sighed.

“It was the connection. I sensed that Remus was going to be in a bad accident on the pitch,” she said. “Next thing I know, I’m in Wigtown and kicking a bludger away from him.”

John stared at her a moment in surprise.

“That’s something,” he said.

“Remus didn’t think so. Seemed more put out than anything,” she said glumly. “And we had just gotten over last night’s fight as well.”

“Why would he be angry? You saved him from a pretty bad injury,” John said.

“Said it was bad enough that Mum used to do it. Not he’s got me popping in,” she said. “Suspect he doesn’t much like having his little sister coming to save the day.” John chuckled.

“Maybe not. But I suppose with time he’ll get it over,” he said.

“I hope so,” Daisy said. John studied her a moment.

“So… anything else new on the connection front?” he asked, trying to seem casual. Daisy shot him a look.

“If there was, I would have told you,” she said, looking back down at her plate.

“Well, just thought since you had a thing with the connection today, maybe something else could have happened,” he said with a shrug. Daisy shook her head.

“Can we not talk about this again,” she said softly. “Bad enough I’m dealing with Remus’ attitude…”

“Is there anything you can do or…”

“I’ve told you – we don’t really know much about it so there’s nothing I can do,” Daisy snapped. She looked up at John, her eyes begging him not to continue bugging her about it. He sighed and shook his head.

“I just can’t understand why you don’t have a connection with me. I mean, Jamie and Lila have been together a much shorter time. Why would they have a connection and we don’t?” he asked. Daisy sighed.

“Maybe Jamie’s just more in tune with it than I am,” she said tiredly.

“How long had your parents been together when your mom started feeling your dad,” he asked. Daisy looked up at him.

“Seriously, John,” she said, shaking her head. She put her plate down on the table and crossed her arms in front of her. “I don’t want to get into this tonight.” She stood and walked over to her bag.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“Home, you’re annoying me,” she said.

“Daisy, don’t go. Why do you shut me down every time I try to talk to you about this?” he asked.

“Because you won’t leave it be! I’ve told you all I can but you just… keep pushing!” she shouted. The picture frames on the walls started to shake slightly. Daisy looked up at them and attempted to take a deep calming breath.

“I love you, Daisy. And it worries me that you’re not telling me things,” he said, putting his plate down and standing.

“If you love me, why can’t you accept that I can’t tell you things?” she said, clenching her fists.

“Because I don’t understand why you can’t tell me!” John shouted back. “I feel like everyone else knows what’s going on but me!”

“Oh please, John. Kelly is just as much in the dark as you,” she said.

“Lila knows things,” John said. “I’m sure Wills does too.” Daisy scoffed and laughed harshly.

“Wills doesn’t know anything,” she said. “I’m not sure where you get the idea that he does.”

“He’s always popping over there unannounced. I’m sure he’s stumbled across something,” John said. “I don’t like it.”

“What? That he comes over all the time?” Daisy asked. “Because I assure you, he doesn’t know anymore than you do.”

John sighed and started pacing.

“Why can’t you just trust me?” Daisy asked. John stopped pacing and looked up at her.

“Why can’t you trust me?” he shot back. Daisy fumed.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you-“

“Obviously you and your family don’t, otherwise I would know everything by now,” he said.

“Would you shut up and listen to me!” Daisy yelled. The photo frames shook again, as did the TV. “It hasn’t nothing to do with trust!”

“Then what does it have to do with?”

“I CAN’T TELL YOU, JOHN!” Daisy yelled. Her eyes flashed red momentarily just as the TV exploded. Daisy jumped aside and looked over at it, then back at John, whose eyes had gone wide. Daisy grabbed her bag and disappeared.

~~~

Daisy appeared directly in her room and dropped her bag. She fell onto her bed and looked up at the ceiling. She took deep breaths, trying to calm herself. She didn’t want to make anything else explode. A lone tear streaked down her cheek as she thought over everything that happened that day.

There was a knock on her door.

“Daisy?” she heard Jamie through the door.

“Go away,” she shouted.

“Can we talk?”

“No!” Daisy shouted. She rolled over and faced the window. “Just leave me alone.”

“Alright.”


	7. So Much, But So Little

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Though small, Dominique finally makes a break in the case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Family/Drama  
> Rating: M (Language, Mention of abuse)

After the chat with Iris, Dominique set to work with gusto, determined more than ever that now she had a better glimpse of what her aunt and cousins could do, she would have better luck at finding something in the archives.

A few weeks had passed and they still hadn’t found much of anything, but Dominique was not discouraged. She felt she was becoming well versed in the mythology surrounding Athena and the various cults that had followed her in ancient times, but yet nothing seemed to have come up about powerful magical beings around her other than gods and goddesses or creatures.

Dominique huffed quietly as she shut another tome, sending a cloud of dust into the air. She coughed and sneezed.

“Another dead end?” Molly asked from across from her, glancing up from her book. Dominique nodded, her brow furrowed.

“This is just… madness,” Dominique said. “I feel like I’m going barmy cooped up in here.”

“Fancy a spot of fresh air, then?” Chris asked from his end of the table. “I was just thinking about going out a bit myself. Got an appointment this afternoon to speak with another history professor.”

Dominique looked down at him, amused.

“And you’re allowing me to accompany you? My, this is a change. One would think I’m finally winning you over despite my dismal interrogation skills,” she said with a smirk. Chris rolled his eyes.

“Just thought since I’m speaking with a muggle it could be good to have someone with expertise in the area,” he said. “But if you feel your skills aren’t up to par, I can take Toby.” The man in question lit up from where he sat next to Dominique. He had been getting a bit stir-crazy in the archives as well, not used to staying in the Ministry so much. He and Dominique would go out several times a day on calls when they were on the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad.

“No, that’s fine. I think I’m up to snuff,” Dominique said, pushing the book away from her. Toby’s face fell slightly. “When do we leave?” Chris glanced at his wristwatch.

“We can go in about 30 minutes,” he said.

“Good,” Dominique responded.

“I’ll just go up to my desk to get my questions,” he said, standing. “I’ll come back in time to leave.” He then walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

“I don’t know how you stand to stay here day in and day out,” Toby said with a sigh as he glanced over at Molly. She just shrugged and closed her book, stretching.

“This is far more interesting than writing reports for Dad,” she said.

“Speaking of reports, I’m suppose to deliver another to Aunt Hermione tomorrow,” Dominique said. Molly nodded.

“I’ve got it finished with everything we’ve found so far. But give me your notes when you get back and I’ll add it whatever we find today. You can take it to her in the morning,” she replied.

Dominque smiled and set about to organizing the texts she was finished with.

“Seems you rather enjoy delivering the reports,” Molly said, a knowing smile on her face.

“It’s nice to get to chat with Aunt Hermione so much,” she said casually.

“Sure it has nothing to do with a certain handsome assistant?” Molly asked.

“What? Magnus? Goodness, no. I barely speak to him when I go,” Dominique said, though her cheeks flushed. Molly chuckled.

“Of course not,” she said, reaching for a scroll. “Oh, did you drop off the file on wandless magic with Jamie and Daisy?” Dominique nodded.

“That chaser was there again. I don’t know how they stand him showing up so often,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“Wills has been doing that since Jamie joined Puddlemere,” Toby said. “Suspect they’re used to it by now.”

“But don’t you think they should… say something? It wouldn’t do for him to pop in and hear something he shouldn’t,” Dominique said with a frown. “He’s already suspicious enough.” Toby laughed.

“That’s Wills for you. I’m sure they know how to handle him by now,” he said, turning a page in the book he was studying.

“I certainly hope so,” Dominique said.

~~~

“So who is this professor we’re speaking with today?” Dominique asked as she walked quickly down the sidewalk to keep up with Chris. His height and longer legs made it difficult at times.

“Professor Robert Halls. He’s a tenured professor specializing in ancient civilizations and Greek mythology at Oxford. He’s one of the top scholars in the field,” he said, looking around. He fidgeted slightly in the suit he was wearing, looking a bit uncomfortable and warm. Dominique laughed softly.

“Really, is the full suit necessary?” she asked, feeling a bit smug as she walked next to him in her airy blouse and pencil skirt.

“I told him I was an investigator with Scotland Yard. Needed to look the part,” Chris said, scowling down at her.

“Pray tell, why would Scotland Yard need to talk to a history professor?” Dominique asked.

“Related to a string of homicides – very hush, hush. He understood and agreed not to ask questions. I think he was just chuffed to be involved in a Scotland Yard investigation,” Chris said, looking at the people around them.

“So who am I?” Dominique asked.

“A consultant,” he said. Dominique’s eyebrows raised in surprise.

“You’ve been watching muggle TV dramas, haven’t you?” she asked.

“So?” Chris asked defensively.

“Just find it entertaining, is all,” she said. Chris stopped suddenly and looked at a black iron gate.

“This is it,” he said. Dominique looked up at a stately brownstone.

“Posh. History must pay well,” she said.

“No idea,” Chris said as he pressed a button on a small box next to the gate. “But suppose we’ll find out.”

~~~

“Thank you again for seeing me on such short notice, Professor Hall,” Chris said formally after the three of them were situated in a sitting room with tea. Dominique looked around, noting the various artifacts decorating the room.

“Oh, it’s no problem at all,” the professor said as he adjusted his glasses. He was in his early 50s or so, dressed very much as Dominique expected muggle professors to dress. If he had robes on, he would have passed for a Hogwarts professor. He had a very studious air about him. “If there is any way that I can help Scotland Yard, I’ll do my best.” Chris nodded and glanced over at Dominique.

“As I said, we’re looking into ancient Greek culture, especially related to the goddess Athena,” he said, looking back to the professor. He sighed and placed his teacup down.

“Well… there are many myths about Athena. She’s the goddess of war strategy and a patron of literature and the written arts. Often noted for her wisdom,” he said.

“Do you know anything specific about the various cults around her?” Dominique asked, earning her a scowl from Chris.

“There were a few back in ancient times. She was the patron goddess of the city of Athens. There were many temples built for her, though I don’t believe many of them still stand,” he replied. “People gave up worship of the gods and goddesses nearly a millennia ago from what I can tell. Now they mostly exist just as… ancient literary figures, for the most part. And a part of ancient Greek history.”

“So you think it’s unlikely any of these cults or worshipers might still exist today?” Chris asked. The professor chuckled.

“I doubt that, though I suppose you never know. What with people these days thinking vampires and such are real and all,” he said, still laughing. Dominique and Chris shared a look, both thinking back to a case that gave the aurors trouble a few years ago involving vampires.

“Point is, if they do, I haven’t come across them,” he said. Chris nodded.

“Is there anything in the mythology involving stories around a person or group of people with… special abilities? Mortals who have supernatural gifts,” he said. The professor thought a moment.

“There are the usual tales of demigods,” he said. “But… outside that, no. Not that I’ve found. What does this have to do with Scotland Yard?” Chris cleared his throat.

“As I said, it’s a very confidential matter,” he said, shifting in his chair. The professor shrugged. He looked over to the table next to his chair and reached for a book.

“Well, if you’re interested in Athena specifically, I would suggest reading work by Nikos Aliefantis,” he said. “He was my mentor, back in the day. The foremost expert on Greek mythology. Used to teach at Oxford as well.” He held it out and Dominique grabbed it, looking at it. The name was familiar.

“Do you know where he’s teaching now?” she asked, looking up. The professor smiled sadly.

“He left quite a long time ago and I’m afraid I haven’t kept in touch,” he said. “But you’ll find his books at any bookstore or on the internet.” Dominique nodded and shot a look at Chris.

“I believe that’s all we have for today,” he said with a smile as he stood.

“Oh, I see,” the professor said, standing as well. “Please do let me know if there is anything more you may need from me.”

“Of course,” Chris said. “Dominique?” She looked up at him, momentarily lost in trying to remember why the name was so familiar to her.

“Oh yes,” she said, jumping to her feet. She looked at the professor and pulled out her wand. “Obliviate.”

A dazed look came over his face as the two quickly made their way out of the house. Once they were on the sidewalk, moving away at a fast clip, only then did Chris notice she still had the book in her hand.

“What is it?” he asked, looking down at it. Suddenly Dominique stopped and looked up.

“The name. I was wondering why it was so familiar,” she said, looking up at him. “This Nikos Aliefantis. He wrote a lot of the books and such in the archives. Chris, I think he might be a wizard.” Chris frowned down at her.

“If he’s a wizard, why was he pretending to be a muggle?” Chris asked. Dominique shrugged.

“Perhaps he’s muggleborn? Doesn’t really matter, does it? He’s a wizard and he’s an expert in ancient Greek culture, mythology and the Greek Pantheon. He’s who we need to talk to. We must find him,” she said excitedly. “But first, we should go back to the archives and pull everything he’s written and everything we can find on him.” She started walking away quickly. She had gotten several feet away before she realized that Chris wasn’t following her. She stopped and turned around.

“Come on! We’ve got work to do!” she shouted impatiently. Chris just nodded and caught up to her, slightly impressed with the connection.

~~~

Dominique was a flurry of action when they returned, ordering Molly and Toby to stop what they were doing and go pull anything and everything on or written by the professor with the strange name. Chris stood back and watched in awe as she started clearing the table of all the books and scrolls they didn’t need, her face flush with excitement.

She stopped and looked up at him where he stood, leaning against the wall.

“What are you doing? We need to get to work,” she said, though she was still smiling.

“Just wanted to say… that was good work. Making the connection,” he said. Dominique smirked.

“Was that a compliment on my skills?” she asked, crossing her arms in front of her. Chris shrugged.

“Maybe,” he said. “Don’t get too cocky. The real work comes now. We need to track him down.”

“Should be easy enough. We just need to find a forwarding address or something. If he’s still in Britain, then there should be records here at the Ministry,” she said. Chris chuckled.

“You’ve obviously not tracked someone down before,” he said. Dominique frowned at him.

“Oh, and I suppose you believe that you’re much better at that than me?” she said.

“I have been an auror for the last four years,” he said. Dominique rolled her eyes. Of course he’d ruin the moment.

“Fine, then go use your auror skills and find him. Let me know when you do. I want to go with you,” she said. Chris pushed off from the wall.

“Fine,” he said, walking out of the room. Molly and Toby walked back in at that moment, carrying arms full of books and scrolls.

“What’s that about?” Toby asked, taking note of Dominique’s frustrated expression.

“Just Chris being a prat as usual,” she said, stepping over to take some of the books from him. Toby and Molly shared a look and smiled at each other. “Come on. These manuscripts aren’t going to read themselves.”


	8. Informing the Bosses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dominique is in a good mood still from her discovery, but learns some surprising news from her cousins when she goes to inform them that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Family/Drama  
> Rating: M (Language, Mention of abuse)

Dominique smiled to herself as she walked down the corridor to the Minister’s office. Molly had just finished up the latest report, adding in everything they found yesterday. While they still needed to speak to the professor directly, Dominique had found his studies to be enlightening and she felt like they were on the verge of discovering everything they needed to know.

If anyone would have heard about people like Iris, Daisy, and Jamie, it would be Professor Nikos Aliefantis.

Dominique walked into the antechamber, smiling as she saw Magnus.

“Good morning,” she said warmly. He stood and walked around the desk.

“Here to see the Minister again?” he asked. Dominique nodded.

“Just delivering another report,” she said.

“Still can’t tell me what it is?” he asked his blue eyes twinkling. Dominique chuckled.

“No, still can’t,” she said, stepping over to the doors leading to her aunt’s office.

“Well, I suppose she’s ready for you,” he said. Dominique nodded and stepped in.

Hermione was sitting behind her desk, pouring over various parchments and scrolls.

“Hope I’m not interrupting,” Dominique said as she shut the door behind her. Hermione looked up, noting the smile on her niece’s face.

“I take it you have some good news,” she said, perking up as Dominique walked over and sat down, holding the folder out to her.

“We’ve found someone who might have the information we need,” she said, grinning. Hermione looked surprised as she opened the file and skimmed through it.

“A professor?” she asked, looking up. Dominique nodded.

“Chris has started going through records to try and locate him. Shouldn’t take too long, I should think,” she said.

“And you think this professor will know about what Iris, Daisy and Jamie are?” Hermione asked cautiously.

“I feel he may be able to,” she said earnestly. She was nearly bouncing in her chair from excitement. Hermione sighed and put the file down on her desk.

“Well, let’s hope he can,” Hermione said. “Have you told the others? Iris will want to know.”

“Not yet, but I’m planning to owl her today and see if I could pop by tomorrow,” Dominique said. “Already owled Jamie and I’ll go over tonight to explain things to them.” Hermione nodded. “How are things going with the forum?”

“A bit better now that we’ve started working on planning the security network. I have a meeting later today with Harry and the rest of the team to go over their ideas,” she said with a sigh. “Just hope we can convince the rest of the leaders of the necessity for it.”

“I’m sure you will. Even they can see that it’s useful and needed after the wizarding wars,” Dominique said. “Not to mention, they’ll be more likely to consider it coming from you. You are a war heroine after all.”

Hermione smiled and sat back in her chair.

“Either that or they’ll think I’m being paranoid,” she said. “Seeing a war in all the shadows and such.”

“I doubt that. You’ve been highly respected since you took office,” Dominique said. “And a great diplomat.”

“Who would have thought years ago at Hogwarts that I would be leading the British wizarding world?” she said with a sigh.

“I’m sure Uncle Ron is proud of you,” she said, causing Hermione to chuckle.

“He does quite relish being first husband, so to speak,” she replied. Dominique chuckled. She then stood.

“Well that’s about all from me. Is there anything else?” she asked. Hermione shook her head.

“Get back to work. You all are doing a great job,” she said, causing Dominique to beam. She nodded, turned and walked out of her office.

“Take it your meeting went well?” Magnus said from his desk. Dominique looked over at him, smiling.

“Very well. I got to deliver good news for once,” she said.

“That’s good to hear,” he said. He looked around his desk and cleared his throat, awkwardly searching for a reason to keep talking to Dominique. “I, ehm, well I suppose I’ll see you next time.” Dominique smiled and nodded.

“Hopefully sooner rather than later,” she said, walking towards the door. “See you.”

“Good-bye!” Magnus shouted. Dominique laughed softly to herself as she walked down the hallway.

~~~

Dominique had just settled on the sofa with a beer while her family all chatted around her. She had to admit that she missed hanging out there a bit. With the season starting up in a month, she hoped long enough had passed so she could start coming to parties again without things being awkward with Paul.

“The first run in is always awkward. Best to just get it over with,” Jamie said from where he sat next to her.

“Mind giving me some warning next time you do that,” Dominique said, frowning slightly. Jamie chuckled.

“Thought you might be used to it by now,” he said. Dominique looked around. Molly and Toby had come with her and all the Woods were present, as was Lucy, Lila and Wills. She didn’t quite understand why the chaser was there, until Jamie informed her that he had inadvertently overheard Lucy and Daisy talking and there was no choice but to tell him everything.

Dominique replied that was exactly what she was worried would happen, with a roll of her eyes. She didn’t even want to think of the row Daisy and John were likely to get into once he found out that Wills was told before him.

“So what’s this news?” Daisy asked from where she was perched on the arm of an armchair. Wills had tried to pull her onto his lap just a few moments ago, resulting in a bruise now forming on his cheek where the spritely young woman had slapped him. He was currently rubbing it and alternating between scowling at her and gazing at her in awe. Dominique would never understand the dynamic between those two.

“Well, Chris and I went to speak with a muggle professor yesterday and he suggested we talk to this other bloke who is an expert in ancient Greek myths – especially those surrounding Athena,” she started.

“A muggle professor? How could that help?” Wills asked. Dominique rolled her eyes and took a deep breath.

“If you would let me finish… Turns out the new professor is a wizard. At least we think so. He’s written a lot of the books and studies we’ve been looking through in the archives,” she said. An air of anticipation filled the room.

“You think this professor, he would know about what Mum, Daisy, and Jamie are?” Alan asked.

“We think that if anyone is going to know, he will,” Dominique said. “Chris and I are working on tracking him down, but in the meantime, we’re going over all his work with a fine tooth comb to see if he’s mentioned it.”

“So… he could probably tell us about these… abilities. And why we have them?” Daisy asked. “And maybe give us a hint as to what might be coming?”

“That’s what we’re hoping,” Dominique said before taking a drink.

“It’s the first big break we’ve had since we started,” Molly said.

“And I think it might actually lead to something,” Toby added.

“Have you located him yet?” Jamie asked.

“Not yet, but if he’s still in Britain, it shouldn’t be too long,” Dominique said. “We’re starting with Ministry records, but also plan to do some digging in muggle records as well. For whatever reason, he chose to teach in muggle universities and interact with the muggle world. So we’re not too sure what we’ll find or where we’ll find it.”

“Well, I for one think this calls for a celebration!” Wills exclaimed, summoning a bottle of whiskey and several glasses. Of course he would. He made quick work of pouring glasses and handing them out.

“Well… seeing as we’re making announcements,” Daisy said. Everyone stopped and looked at her. “Some of you may not know, but… I felt something this weekend.”

Dominique looked towards Molly and Toby. Molly looked confused, though Toby smiled as though he knew what was going on.

“I think I’m starting to feel the connection with John,” Daisy said.

“Finally,” Molly said with a roll of her eyes, causing half the room to frown at her. Daisy cleared her throat.

“And after speaking with him, I’ve decided that I’m moving in,” she finished, smiling around the room. Toby seemed to be the only one who knew about this and was smiling his encouragement at her. Everyone else seemed shocked. Wills looked downright heartbroken, though he quickly tried to hide it.

“Is that such a good idea, Pix?” Alan asked. “What with all the, ah, the-“

“Exploding windows, glassware, and televisions,” Remus finished with a frown.

“It’ll be fine. Now that that I’ve felt him, things are much better,” Daisy said, scowling at her older brother. “We won’t be fighting as much and I’m starting to get better control of it. Besides, I think it’ll be good. If we’re living together than the connection will get stronger.”

“Kingfisher’s funeral,” Remus muttered, causing Daisy to scowl harder at him.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Lila said, glancing at Remus. Dominique figured she also had picked up on the recent animosity between Daisy and Remus. Everyone looked at her.

“And why is that?” Jamie asked, puzzled as to why his girlfriend would be siding with his little sister.

“She’s right, it might make the connection stronger. I don’t see how it could hurt,” she said, looking at him.

“Unless we open the Prophet one morning and find out she’s blown up the flat after John didn’t do the dishes right,” Remus said wryly.

“Remus,” Jamie said warningly.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Pixie?” Wills asked, looking up at her. She looked down at him and nodded.

“I wouldn’t have suggested it if I didn’t want to,” she said, frowning down at him.

“You suggested it?” Alan asked. Daisy looked over at him.

“Yes, when I told him,” she said.

“I thought you were going to wait a bit,” Wills said. Daisy shrugged.

“Didn’t see the point in waiting,” she said.

“I bet he was elated,” Lucy said, rolling her eyes.

“He was, actually,” Daisy said, shooting a warning stare at her cousin. Dominique took note, wondering what had gone on between them and how exactly Daisy had started feeling the connection. Though she reckoned it was better to ask in private rather than in front of a crowd. She looked over and noticed Jamie was studying Daisy intently, probably reading her mind from the looks of it.

He finally sighed and nodded.

“Maybe it’s not such a bad idea,” he finally said. Alan looked over at him, confused at his sudden change in opinion.

“Are you serious?” he asked. Jamie looked at him. After a moment Alan nodded and glanced over at Daisy, who was now chattering away with Wills. Dominique decided before she left she was going to pull both of them aside and figure out just what was going on.

~~~

As luck would have it, Dominique got her chance just 30 minutes later. The rest of the group was chatting and drinking in the living room while Alan and Jamie volunteered to get some snacks ready. Dominique got up, under the guise of helping them.

“I suggest you start sharing out loud. Everyone knows you’re having one of your mental conversations,” she said, walking up behind them. Both tall men jumped slightly, not hearing or seeing her walk up. Jamie looked over at the group and sighed.

“We were just discussing that it might be good for Pix to get away from Remus for a bit,” he said.

“He still antagonizing her?” she asked.

“It’s getting worse,” Alan said.

“At first it was both of us, but for some reason he’s been going after her the most now,” Jamie said. “Not sure what’s gotten into him.”

“Laura said he’s been a bit of a git with her as well,” Alan said.

“She’s not breaking up with him, is she?” Dominique asked.

“No, she’s not. But he’s been getting more insufferable,” he said.

“He’s the reason Daisy’s been losing it lately. Usually she’s had a fight with him before she gets into fights with Kingfisher. Hoping if we removed one bit of that equation, it’ll calm down the other,” Jamie said. Dominique looked over, seeing Daisy laugh at something Wills said. Not far off, Remus was scowling at her, then turning back to talk to Toby.

“What do you suppose has gotten into him?” she asked.

“Mostly jealousy,” Jamie said. Dominique looked over at him. “He’s frustrated that once again, Daisy and I are the gifted ones. But he’s harder on Daisy than me.”

“I’ll keep working on him,” Alan said with a sigh. “He’ll come around.” Dominique nodded.

“Hopefully things work themselves out. Wouldn’t do if a war is coming and we’re busy trying to keep the peace between Daisy and Remus,” she said.

“Isn’t that the truth…”


	9. Going Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Iris shares more of her past with Dominique, she starts to better understand just how hard things are for her cousin Daisy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Family/Drama  
> Rating: M (Language, Mention of abuse)

Dominique watched her aunt as she sipped her tea, waiting for her reaction to the news.

“You really think this professor will have information about us?” the older woman asked, trying not to look too hopeful.

“Well, that’s what we are hoping for,” Dominique said. “Honestly, if he doesn’t know anything helpful, I’m not sure the information exists. We’ve been looking through the archives for a few months now and this is the first substantial lead we’ve had.” Iris nodded.

“Well I suppose all we can do is try to find and him and hope,” she replied. “If it’s not much trouble, I’d like to go with you when you find him.” Dominique was a bit taken aback.

“Of course,” she said. Iris smiled.

“It’s nice to get a bit of a good news,” she said. Dominique took a deep breath.

“I was wondering… you never really told me how you started to feel Harry,” Dominique said. “He was the first – after Lily – right?” Iris nodded.

“I could always feel Lily, but for whatever reason, Harry didn’t come until later. Maybe I was too young before,” she said.

“Do you mind telling me about it?” Dominique asked. Iris smiled.

“I can show you,” she said. Dominique nodded and closed her eyes.

A teen-aged Iris stood in a dingy room looking out a dirty window with tattered curtains. Dominique resisted the urge to wrinkle her nose at the tiny flat, remembering that her aunt was only about 15 or 16 and it was probably the best she could afford. She was watching the people on the street down below, her hair now reaching her shoulders. A chemistry set was on a table nearby that looked as though it would collapse at any moment under the weight.

It was about midday, Dom guessed, judging from the light that filtered in through the window. Iris was playing with the collar of her shirt, her head tilted to one side. Suddenly she gasped and clutched her chest, her eyes going wide as she appeared to be somewhere else for a moment. Just as soon as it started, she was back, panting slightly. She looked to the floor, confusion written on her face.

“ _Harry?_ ” she whispered. She looked around the room, as though she were looking for something that wasn’t there. She then walked over and sat on the bed, stunned. “ _Harry, was that you?_ ” A determined look came over her face as she stood and closed her eyes.

They were suddenly transported somewhere else. A normal, rather mundane muggle neighborhood. Iris was standing in front of a house, staring at it. She quickly walked towards the back gate before anyone could notice her. Dominique followed as the the sound of voices grew louder. Iris looked around and then quietly opened the gate, stepping into the yard. Dominique couldn’t help but think it was rather reckless of her.

Iris crept around the corner of the house, hiding behind some bushes. She gasped quietly, her hand flying to her mouth as a tear streaked down her cheek.

“ _Harry,_ ” she whispered again. Dominique crept around behind her and looked into the backyard. A small boy with dark, unruly hair and broken glasses was busy trying to rake leaves into a pile.

“ _When you’re done with that, you can come in and do the hoovering,_ ” a tall, stern woman said. Iris’ eyes flickered to her as she froze. Dominique realized this must be the first time since she was much younger that Iris had seen her older sister. The two looked absolutely nothing alike. The woman walked inside, leaving the small boy to continue struggling with the garden instrument. Iris started to stand, as though she were going to step out of the bushes. But then she stopped and shook her head. More tears streamed down her cheeks and she started to back away. She covered her mouth as though she needed to hold in her sobs and quietly disappeared.

Dominique blinked and looked at her aunt.

“What were you thinking?” Dominique asked. It wasn’t judgment, more so she wanted to understand what was going through her aunt’s mind at the time.

“I was thinking that I wanted to take him away with me. Away from that. The desire to rescue him only grew stronger the more I watched him. But… I knew that I could not,” she said. “It would be too dangerous. Not to mention, I was still very much a child myself. And… I had no clue if he even knew who I was. I didn’t expect Petunia to mention me or if she did, she most likely would have told him that I was dead.”

Dominique sat quietly contemplating. She couldn’t imagine what her aunt must have been feeling in that moment.

“I felt rather helpless,” Iris said. “I could feel everything he was feeling and I was powerless to do anything about it.”

“You could feel everything, from a distance?” Dominique asked.

“Yes and no. It wasn’t constant. And it’s strongest when nearby. But if I concentrated, I could,” she said. “It seems Jamie and Daisy can only feel from a distance when danger is nearby.”

“I suppose Daisy told you that she felt John,” Dominique said. Iris nodded.

“And that she’s moving in with him,” she replied with a frown. “Still not sure how I feel about that.”

“She told me that she hopes it’ll make it stronger,” Dominique said.

“If only it did work that way,” Iris said with a sigh.

“It doesn’t?”

“Not sure how it works, to be honest, but I think it’s a bit more than just being physically close to someone,” Iris said. She frowned again.

“What’s wrong, Aunt Iris?” Dominique asked softly. The older woman looked up at her.

“I’m worried,” she said. “About Daisy. She’s… too much like me. Struggling to control it. Every time she gets angry or upset, things explode. I’m worried that she may… that…”

“You’re worried that she’ll go into a coma like you,” Dominique said. Iris nodded.

“Or that she’ll hurt someone or herself. Well… it won’t let her get hurt, but… I know Daisy. She won’t be able to live with herself if she hurts someone,” she said.

“It’s just been some glass and a television. I doubt it could be that serious,” Dominique said. Iris studied her for a moment.

“Let me… let me show you something,” she said. Dominique furrowed her brow, but nodded, closing her eyes.

She was standing in a muggle pub. A young Iris, perhaps around 19 or 20 - Daisy’s age - stood at the bar, shyly talking to a young man about the same age. Her hair was short again. Dominique stepped over towards them so she could better hear the conversation.

“ _So, you enjoy working in the coffee shop?_ ” the man asked. Iris nodded and smiled.

“ _It’s not much, but it pays the bills,_ ” she said before taking a drink of her beer. _“You get to see all sorts of interesting people.”_

_“What sorts?”_ the man asked, leaning closer to her.

_“Well… there’s the wannabe writers who come in with their notebooks and pencils, scratching away for hours after ordering just one coffee,”_ she said. _“And then the couples on first dates, nervously talking and twittering about. The businessmen who come in to get their morning coffee before work…”_

_“The university students studying for their exams?”_ he asked. Iris laughed and nodded.

_“I enjoy people watching,”_ she said. _“Sometimes I imagine who they are and what their lives are like.”_ The man looked around a moment and then pointed at a couple sitting at a table in front of the window.

_“What about them?”_ he asked. Iris looked over and studied them a moment.

_“First date. He suggested the pub so he could get some liquid courage. She’s wondering how long she has to wait before it’s socially acceptable to make an excuse to leave,”_ she said, looking back at the man. Dominique suspected that it wasn’t just guessing. Rather her aunt had most likely read their minds. The man laughed and looked at the couple.

_“Suppose so. Poor bloke looks like he’s about to cut and run himself,”_ he commented. _“What about them?”_ Iris looked over at a table of rowdy men in the corner.

_“Businessmen reliving their glory days. They had a rugby match earlier and won so are now out celebrating and convincing themselves that they still have it,”_ she said casually. She locked eyes with one and quickly looked back at the man at her side. He laughed.

_“You have an interesting mind, Jenny. Ever think of being a writer?”_ he asked, tucking a curl behind her ear. Iris shrugged and smiled shyly.

_“Not sure I have any interesting stories worth telling,”_ she said, her eyes flashing. A confused look came over the man’s face. _“What?”_ she asked, straightening.

_“Oh nothing. Must be the lights or the alcohol playing tricks on me. Could have sworn your eyes just flashed,”_ he said with a laugh. Iris blinked and laughed with him, though a bit nervously.

_“Must be,”_ she said. She then suddenly went a bit rigid, as though she was expecting something.

_“Excuse me miss, but could I tempt you to join us by offering a drink,”_ a man slurred slightly as he stepped in between the two. It was the man she had temporarily locked eyes with earlier.

_“Excuse me,”_ the younger man said, looking up at him. The older man turned and smiled down at him.

_“Sorry, mate, you snooze, you lose,”_ he said with a sloppy grin. He then turned back to Iris. _“Whaddaya say?”_

_“I’m… no thanks,”_ she said, smiling nervously and trying to back away.

_“She’s here with me,”_ the younger man said.

_“Come on, love, I saw you lookin’ at us all longingly,”_ the man said, stepping closer to her.

_“I’m afraid you were mistaken,”_ Iris said, furrowing her brow as she continued to try and back away. She ran into another couple and turned to apologize. The man took the opportunity to grab her arm and attempt to lead her over to the table.

_“C’mon, just a drink,”_ he said. Iris froze a moment, her eyes wide, before she started to try to pull her arm free.

_“Let her go, she doesn’t want to go with you,”_ the younger man said, trying to grab the man.

_“I don’t hear her complainin’,”_ the man said with a grin.

_“Please… let me go,”_ Iris said, her voice starting to sound frantic. She looked around wildly, noting that the pub was rather crowded, which only seemed to add to her distress. She tried harder to extract herself from the drunk man.

_“Look, mate, I think the lady would like you to let her go,”_ the younger man said, grabbing a hold of his other arm.

_“Leggo of me!”_ the man shouted, seeming to strengthen his grip on Iris, who was looking around more and more frantically.

_“Please, just let me go,”_ she cried, her eyes starting to fill with tears. The glasses on the bar were starting to shake. The fire in the fireplace started to spark and grow. _“Really! Please!”_

Most of the people in the pub seemed more concerned with what was going on with the two men and Iris than what was happening in the fireplace. Dominique forgot for a moment that she was in a memory and started to reach for her wand in her pocket to put the fire out before it grew too large and engulfed the entire building.

A crowd had formed around the two men and Iris had grown increasingly more panicked. She had finally managed to pull her arm out of the man’s grip but it was too late. She was breathing heavily and looking around for an exit, her eyes wide, but she couldn’t manage to get through the people.

_“Are you alright?”_ a man said, trying to pull her out of the crowd to a quiet corner. She jumped when he touched her and yelped. At that moment, the fire roared and spread from the fireplace, quickly engulfing the wall. Screams rose as everyone began to run towards the door. Iris looked around frantically, seeming as though she couldn’t breath. She backed into a corner as people seemed to forget she was there. She closed her eyes and quietly disappeared.

They were then standing on the street, looking as people poured out of the pub and the distant sound of sirens pierced the air. Iris stood gasping for air from where she stood at the entrance of an alley across the street.

_“Jenny!”_ someone yelled. The young man from earlier was running through the crowd. _“Someone! There’s a young woman still inside!”_ He started to run back to the door, but was knocked to the ground as the front window exploded and a rush of flames flew out. Iris jumped and stepped back into the alley.

_“Henry? Where’s Henry?”_ one of the businessmen shouted. Iris quickly shook her head and then disappeared.

Dominique felt like all this popping around places was going to give her a headache. She watched as Iris frantically packed everything into a worn suitcase, objects zipping around the room at a rapid pace. Dominique had to duck a few times even though she knew nothing would actually hit or hurt her. Iris was staring into a mirror, quickly cleaning the soot from her face with a cloth. She then stopped and stared at herself a moment before she smoothly transformed. Her red curls lengthened into long, straight brown locks and her eyes changed into a muddy brown. Her petite and sharp features rounded out as her face plumped slightly. Once finished, she looked nothing like Iris Evans and was as nondescript as one could be. She turned and shut the suitcase, locked it and then picked it up. Looking around the room, she then closed her eyes and disappeared.

Dominique gasped slightly as she opened her eyes, the intensity of this latest memory a bit more than the earlier ones. She looked over at Iris, who was wiping her cheeks.

“A man nearly died in the fire,” she said softly. “Of course the young man, Roger, he thought I had as well and I thought it best to let it stay that way. I never went back to that town again.”

“Do you think… is Daisy that dangerous?” Dominique asked quietly, concern filling her blue eyes.

“I don’t know… I hope not,” Iris said, frowning. “But I do worry.”

“Has Daisy seen this memory?” she asked.

“No… I try not to show her too much. I don’t want her to become even more worried and unstable,” she said. “Jamie and Alan try to keep her calm, but she puts so much pressure on herself.”

For the first time, Dominique realized just how difficult things were for Daisy. She had to admit, part of her had always been slightly jealous of her cousin. She had always been popular - without even trying - and it had always seemed that things came easy to her. People always followed her - even during their Hogwarts days.

“Not everything comes easy to her. She works hard,” Iris said. “She pushes herself hard. Too hard sometimes. Always has. And this… I worry this might just break her.” Dominique looked down at the tea that had now long gone cold.

“Don’t worry, Aunt Iris,” she said, looking up. “We won’t let that happen.” Iris smiled.

“She’s going to need us more than ever,” Iris said softly.

“Isn’t that what family is for?” Dominique asked, smiling.

“I suppose so. Sometimes I still forget,” she said.

“I’ll make sure you don’t anymore and she doesn’t either.”


	10. When Quidditch Takes Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisy lets her gifts get the best of her during a match, which leads to another confrontation with Remus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Family/Drama  
> Rating: M (Language, Mention of abuse)

Daisy took a deep breath and tried to center herself as she sat cross-legged on the bench in the locker room. Her headphones were on and she was trying to clear her head.

It was the first match of the season and they were playing Puddlemere. The wizards and witches in the Quidditch League department really did have a sick twist of humor, often opening up the season with a rematch from the finals the season before. They were all keyed up and ready to take another swing at beating Puddlemere – none more than Daisy. However with everything that had been going on, she worried about keeping her focus. She had been struggling with that all summer.

Thankfully things had quieted down a bit since she moved in with John. The first two weeks were pure bliss. Now things had settled into normal routine, though they had tiffs here and there. At least she hadn’t caused anything to explode lately, which she chalked up to getting away from Remus. Her mother had stopped asking him to come help whenever she and Jamie would work with her and Daisy was finally starting to make progress.

“She seems a bit more serious than usual,” Kelly said, looking over at Daisy. “Everything alright with her?” John glanced over his shoulder at her.

“From what I can tell. She seems to have calmed down a bit more since she moved in, thank god. It was expensive to replace the TV,” he said. Kelly chuckled.

“I thought Lucy and I got into a good screaming match here and there, but you two… Making the TV explode? I’d half like to have seen that,” he said. John frowned slightly, looking back over at Daisy.

“Be glad you didn’t It’s a lot more frightening than it sounds,” he said. “And I’m just glad we’ve stopped arguing as much as we used to.”

“Suppose it doesn’t hurt that she’s finally started feeling you,” Kelly said. John nodded and smiled slightly.

“Still doesn’t like to talk about it.

“Alright, team! Huddle up!” Nilsson shouted as he walked in, interrupting their conversation. Daisy stood and took her headphones, then glanced at Nilsson as she pulled her gloves on. “Time to settle the score with Puddlemere…”

~~~

Dominique sat next to Lucy, Remus and Alan in the players’ box, eagerly waiting for the match to start. Molly had opted to stay home, saying she’d meet them at the party later. She wasn’t one for quidditch matches – saying they lasted too long for her taste – though Dominique rather enjoyed them. Even before she dated Paul.

“So… you think the Arrows will pull out an upset?” she asked, looking at Alan.

“Maybe. Merlin knows they certainly want it,” he said.

“Not unless Pixie can keep her head in the game,” Remus said. “She’s been off all summer, according to Campbell.”

“Yea, and I wonder who’s fault that was,” Alan muttered. Dominique stifled a laugh as she ventured a look at Remus, who was now scowling at Alan.

“Not my fault if she can’t control her temper enough to stay focused on playing,” he said, turning to look back out at the field. Alan sighed and rolled his eyes.

“Did I miss the kick off?” Toby asked as he rushed in, his credentials swinging from his neck. Daisy had been gifting him with season passes to the players' box since her first on the Arrows and he somehow never missed a match.

“Not yet,” Dominique said as he slid into a chair behind her.

“I’m excited for this rematch. Daisy said she’s been working on new stuff for the last month,” he said, leaning forward.

“Here’s hoping she doesn’t break her neck,” Remus said. Alan glared at him and punched him in the shoulder.

Soon enough, the announcer came on and introduced the teams as they all flew out and took their positions.

“Are you two really looking to transfer to Puddlemere next season?” Toby asked just as the referee released the balls.

“Hopefully,” Alan said, glancing back at him. “McIntosh and Truffle are ready to retire to coaching, it seems. Dad’s been meeting with Diggle a lot. He’s offered those two spots working with the reserves.”

“Might make matches against the Arrows more exciting,” Toby replied with a grin as Wills sped towards Bray, a ferocious look of intensity on his face as he launched the quaffle and the keeper just missed it.

“That it would. Pix’s head might explode playing against all three of us at once,” Remus said with a chuckle.

“Or she just might prove once and for all that she’s the better Wood,” Dominique said, smirking. Toby laughed as Alan smiled and Remus frowned. Dominique leaned forward, watching her cousin streak down the field through her omnioculars. Daisy was flying through openings in the Puddlemere chasers’ formation that most didn’t even realize was there until she flew through them. Dominique then glanced over and saw that Jamie kept grimacing every time she got a bit too close.

“Jamie doesn’t look happy at all,” she commented, zooming in on his face.

“Suppose Pix is giving him heart attacks every few seconds,” Alan said with a chuckle.

“Serves him right for all the trouble he gave Mum growing up,” Remus said.

“As I recall, you were doing it just as much,” Alan said, looking at his brother.

“As were you,” he retorted. Dominique laughed and shook her head as she dropped the device in her lap.

“GO BABY!” Lucy shrieked from next to her, jumping to her feet as Kelly scored, causing all the other players in the room to laugh. Lucy sat back down, grinning. “He’s on fire today.”

“Isn’t he always?” Dominique asked, rolling her eyes.

“Cunningham’s not doing bad either,” Remus said with a smile, glancing at Dominique.

“He always was good,” she replied, her eyes still on the match. “Not sure why you’re just now noticing.” She wasn’t about to give her cousins the satisfaction of taking the mickey out of her.

~~~

The match was turning into an exciting one with the first half a vicious back and forth between the two teams. Dominique had to admire what Nilsson had done with the Arrows after two seasons. The fact that they had made it to the finals against Puddlemere in just his second year as head coach said something.

But it was obvious that his crowning glory was the ginger seeker who was currently acting more like a human bludger. How she did it and managed to keep a look out for the snitch was beyond Dominique. And apparently Remus and Alan, who both kept a running commentary. It was nice to see Remus finally admiring his younger sister again after all the snide remarks.

“Blimey! Did you see that? She just missed Wills by an inch,” Alan said, leaning forward.

“We’ll be hearing about that later,” Remus said with a grin, no doubt already thinking of 20 quips to throw at the chaser at the after party.

Suddenly, Daisy shot off away from the chasers, spiraling up in the air as Ashley White struggled to catch up.

“How the bloody hell did she manage to see it while she was down among the chasers?” Alan said, nearly shooting out his chair. Dominique leaned forward, watching as her cousin edged up on the small golden ball, getting closer. Ashley was nearly on her.

The snitch suddenly changed directions and shot straight down, Daisy and Ashley diving in hot pursuit. Out of nowhere, Daisy seemed to slow down and freeze on her broomstick.

“Fuck’s sake, what are you doing, Pixie!” Remus shouted. Dominique watched as Daisy quickly regained control, but not in time. Ashley edged passed her and grabbed the snitch, pulling out of the dive. Daisy shot left towards Jamie, who at the very last second dodged a bludger that had been heading for his head.

The Puddlemere squad started their victory lap while Daisy hovered with the rest of her team in front of the coach’s box, looking dejected. Dominique frowned.

“She’s going to beat herself up for weeks for that,” Alan said glumly.

“Nilsson’ll probably have her head,” Remus added. The two shook their heads and stood.

“Come on. Got to get set up for the party,” Alan said, pulling Dominique to her feet.

~~~

Dominique stood with Lucy in the Woods’ flat waiting for the teams to arrive. Everyone who had been in the players’ box was at the party, as were some players from other teams that hadn’t been at the match or playing their own that day. She wanted to talk to Daisy about the match - Dominique was certain that she had had another one of her connection moments, which had caused her lose the snitch. And Nilsson still hadn’t been told what was going on, so chances were that Daisy had gotten a tongue-lashing and would be in a dismal mood when she arrived.

“Hey, Dom,” someone said from her right. Dominique looked over and started just a bit, seeing her ex, Paul Cunningham, walking up to her. She had been lost in thought and not realized the team had arrived. She looked around quickly, not seeing Daisy.

“Hey Paul,” she said, smiling slightly at him. Lucy gave her a look and quickly skittered off, no doubt to console her boyfriend. “Good match today. Except for the end, anyway.”

“Yea, I’m not sure what got into Pixie,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously. “Coach laid into her pretty hard afterwards.”

“She’ll be depressed for weeks,” Dominique said with a sigh.

“Most likely,” he replied. They both stood looking at their drinks a bit awkwardly for a moment. “So… how have you been?”

“Good… I’ve been working on a special assignment with the aurors’ office,” she said, looking up at him. She met his dark blue eyes, getting lost in them for a moment. Merlin, she forgot how much she loved staring into his eyes. She shook her head slightly, but then found herself looking at his lips and reliving some of their more heated memories. She blushed slightly and returned to looking around for Daisy.

“That’s amazing. They finally chose you,” he said, smiling and sounding genuinely happy for her. “I knew they would.” Dominique smiled her appreciation, glancing up at him.

“Turns out I had been requested a few times, but Mr. Grifford never sent me for some reason,” she said, before taking a drink.

“Probably Warlow bribed him,” Paul replied. Dominique laughed.

“I wouldn’t put it past him, the git,” she said. Paul’s expression suddenly turned serious.

“Look, Dom… we’re still good together,” he started. Dominique closed her eyes and took a deep breath, knowing what was coming. “I still love you and I just… I don’t understand. Don’t you think we could give it another go?” She opened her eyes and looked up at him. She wanted to say yes. Merlin, how badly she wanted to tell her family to fuck it with the secrets and go back to being with him.

But she knew that she couldn’t keep secrets from him if they were together. She couldn’t be like Daisy and Lucy. More than that, she knew that ultimately, whatever was coming, her family was intricately tied up in it and the last thing she wanted was to put Paul in danger.

“Paul… I told you… I can’t,” she said, feeling her eyes fill with tears. She blinked rapidly, trying to keep them from falling.

“But, why not?” he asked softly, taking her free hand in his. He rubbed his thumb against her palm. Dominique looked down at her small hand in his large, calloused one.

“I just… I can’t. It’ll never work,” she said, pulling her hand from his. “Sorry, I need to go talk to Daisy.” She then walked off and headed towards her cousin who she saw being consoled by her brothers and Wills by the bar. At least she hoped they were consoling her. Dominique straightened her back and tossed her white blonde hair behind her, trying to tell herself that she was strong and she could do this.

“Weasley,” someone said from her left. Dominique stopped and looked over, noticing Chris walking up.

“Please tell me you didn’t overhear that,” she said with a roll of her eyes.

“I did,” he said. Dominique glared up at him, steeling herself for whatever snide remark was coming. “Look… I… just wanted to say, I get it.” Dominique looked at him, confused.

“Get what?” she asked.

“The whole keeping secrets thing… I get it. It’s easier to save them that, though it takes its toll,” he said. Dominique didn’t look convinced.

“You?” she asked. “I don’t think you understand this situation. It’s different.” She started to walk away, but Chris grabbed her arm and spun her back around to face him.

“I do get it. You seem to forget I’ve been doing this a few years. And I’m not allowed to talk about my work at all. Not just some cases. Any of the cases,” he said, trying not to roll his eyes. “I was… look, I was with this woman for a two years. And… it was difficult not telling her things. And she tried, Merlin knows she tried, but it was hard for her to understand why I couldn’t tell her. And then we had a case that hit too close to home and I realized that my work could put her in danger… so I broke things off.”

Dominique was shocked into silence for a few moments. She just stared at him, not quite believing he had opened up to her. She felt she was seeing a new side of Chris Abbott.

“I’m… I’m sorry about your relationship,” she finally said. Chris shrugged.

“I just, well, I wanted you to know that I know how difficult it is. Everything that’s going on and not being able to share with someone you love. And trying to protect them even though you know they don’t understand,” he said. Dominique glanced over, seeing Cunningham now talking with Bray, looking rather forlorn. She nodded and looked back at Chris, smiling slightly as she felt the tears prick at her eyes again.

“It sucks. It really does,” she admitted.

“It gets easier,” he said. “At least, a bit easier. But… you made the right decision.” Dominique nodded and smiled at him, this one more genuine.

“Thanks,” she said. “I needed that.”

“Anytime, Weasley,” he said, smiling at her. She nodded and started to walk off, but stopped.

“It’s Dominique. Or Dom, if you prefer. That’s what most of my friends and family call me anyway,” she said, smiling at him. He returned it and nodded.

“Noted… Dom,” he said. She grinned and turned and walked over to her cousins. In just the few minutes she had been talking to Chris, Daisy’s face had turned from depressed and woebegone to furious. Dominique had a sinking feeling in her stomach that Remus was the reason why.

“Can’t keep his bloody mouth shut for five minutes, can he?” she muttered as she quickened her pace.

“Really, Remus. Why don’t you tell me how you really feel?” Dominique heard Daisy snap.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Didn’t realize you couldn’t handle a bit of criticism,” Remus snapped back.

“Really, Remus, must you do this now?” Jamie said, frowning at his brother and then looking around the room, no doubt checking the glassware.

“No, no, let him get it all out, Jamie. I want to hear this,” Daisy said, crossing her arms in front of her.

“Just thinking it’s about time you realized that you’re no better than the rest of us,” Remus said, stepping closer to her.

“Forgive me if I can’t help it that I’m a better quidditch player than you’ll ever be,” Daisy said, stepping up to him, though she had to crane her neck back to see him. Remus laughed coldly.

“So you _do_ think you’re better than us, what with all your fancy new gifts and all,” he said.

“Maybe I do,” Daisy shot back.

“Remus, Daisy – knock it off,” Alan said, looking worried, though he didn’t dare step in between them. Even before Daisy had turned into an unintentional pyromaniac, you didn’t want to get in between her and a potential jinxing victim.

“No, let him say his piece,” Daisy said, her eyes still locked with her older brother.

“Just thinking it’s nice to see you struggle with something for a change. Instead of everyone worshipin’ the bloody ground you walk on,” he said. Daisy raised her eyebrows.

“No one does that,” she said.

“Oh, but they do. You’re the press’ little quidditch darlin’. Oliver Wood’s little princess,” he said, his voice growing louder. He knew there was nothing Daisy hated more than being called princess.

“I’m no princess, Remus Albert Wood, and you know it. You know I’ve worked for everything I’ve gotten,” she said, her voice in a dangerous whisper.

“Oh, is that so? So you’re not Daddy’s little princess anymore? Suppose you’re Kingfisher’s little princess now,” he said.

“I am not,” Daisy said.

“How is that going, by the way? Broken anymore TVs?” Remus asked, tilting his head to the side.

“No. Since I moved out of here I no longer see the reason to fight. Wonder why that is? Maybe because I got away from you,” Daisy spat. Remus’ eyes widened and Dominique could tell it hurt more than he wanted to admit, though he quickly covered it up. He glared down at Daisy, stepping closer and leaning down over her.

"Can't stand the sight of me, eh? That's fine. Why doing you just go run along with your Yank and get to work on your gaggle of mudbloods," he shouted. 

Every single person who heard him was immediately shocked into silence. Dominique had never heard Remus said something so insensitive in her entire life. She knew for a fact that Oliver and Iris had raised all their children with the utmost respect for others – whether muggle or whatever. For Merlin's sake, even their own mother was muggleborn.

Daisy started shaking, as did all the glasses on the counter behind her.

“You take that back, Remus,” she whispered furiously, her eyes flashing red. Dominique looked over to Remus, who was finally starting to look a little afraid. “You can say what you want about me, but you do not say such things about John.”

“Or what? You going to make the windows explode again?” he said, recovering some of his bravado.

Immediately, Wills stepped in between them, looking down at Daisy. Dominique felt her heart drop, thinking in between the two was the last place she’d want to be at that moment.

“Pixie, come on, look at me. You need to calm down,” he said, gripping her upper arms firmly.

“Wills get out of the way so I can give my brother the hexin’ he deserves!” she shouted, starting to fight against him. John looked over from where he was standing and started to walk over to her.

“Yea, Wills. Come on, let her have her best shot,” Remus said over the blonde chaser’s shoulder. Alan immediately grabbed him and started to pull him away.

“You’ve done enough,” he spat at him, his face clearly displaying his anger. “Come on.” He started dragging Remus towards the balcony. Jamie and Dominique locked eyes for a moment, both unsure of what to do. Reason told her it might be safer with Remus and Alan - at least he wouldn’t make the windows explode with his anger. And she really wanted to hear what Alan was about to yell at him. But for whatever reason, she stayed put, now looking at her fuming, magically unstable cousin.

“Come on now, Pix, you need to calm down,” Wills said.

“I’ll calm down when I’m good and ready,” Daisy shouted, glaring up at him.

“Are you going to going to be like this at our wedding? Because if that’s the case, then I’ll be sure to order plastic cups,” he said. Daisy stopped struggling and looked up at him, confused. Her mouth started twitching slightly as the glasses stopped shaking.

“Plastic cups?” she said.

“Yea. Wouldn’t want to shower our guests in glass shards, would we? Come for the wedding, stay for the first aid,” he said, smiling down at her. Daisy shook her head. Finally, a smile peeked out, as did a short laugh. Dominique looked at Jamie as they both smiled in relief.

“There’s my Pixie,” Wills said as he pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her. Daisy seemed to relax in his arms. Jamie had an amused look on his face. Once he glanced up at Dominique, she gave him a quizzical look.

 _“Just thinking that I find it interesting that Wills seems to be the only person who can calm her down,”_ she heard his voice say in her head. Dominique snorted slightly and looked at him.

 _“Aren’t you supposed to be Team Kingfisher?”_ she thought. Jamie just shrugged.

“What’s going on?” John asked as he stepped up. Daisy jumped out of Wills arms and looked at her boyfriend.

“Just had a bit of a sibling spat, but we’ve got it under control,” Wills said, smiling. “No broken windows, glasses or TVs this time.”

“I see,” John said, looking from Daisy to Wills, causing Daisy to roll her eyes.

“It’s fine, John,” she said.

“Why were you that upset to begin with?” he said. Dominique looked out to the balcony and saw Alan laying into Remus, motioning wildly. Remus tried to yell back but an odd look came over his face and he reached for his throat and then glared at Alan. Dominique would have been 1,000 galleons that Alan had put a silencing charm on him.

“Remus said some things he’ll likely regret once he’s calmed down,” Jamie said. Daisy started stewing again.

“You bet your arse he will. I’ll make him regret it,” she said as she looked towards the balcony.

“Daisy,” Wills said in warning. She sighed as John studied him, not used to hearing him use her actual name.

“Fine,” she said, relenting.

“Just deep, calming breaths, Pixie,” Wills said, causing Daisy to stare at him incredulously. “Don’t look at me like that. It works!”

“So… you stopped her from throwing another of her tan-“ John stopped as he saw Daisy glaring at him. “I mean, you calmed her down.”

“Distracted her is more like it,” Wills said, glancing down at her. “Wasn’t that hard.” John nodded.

“Right. Got it.” He then turned and walked away, moving towards the corridor that led to the front door. Daisy threw her head back and looked towards the ceiling.

“Why do you do this to me, Merlin,” she moaned before taking after him. Dominique and Wills both looked at Jamie, questioning expressions on their faces. Jamie sighed.

“John is a bit put out that Wills here was the one to calm her down,” he said.

“But she’s got the connection with him,” Wills countered, though Dominique didn’t miss the hint of hurt there. “How long is it going to take him to get over himself? I’m rather sick of him constantly thinking there’s something between me and Daisy when there’s not.” Jamie shook his head and shrugged.

“At this point, even I want to stay out of Daisy’s life, it’s become so dramatic,” he said before walking off. Wills was still looking towards the door, a worried look on his face.

“Don’t worry, they’ll sort things out,” Dominique said. Wills looked down at her.

“You think?” he asked. She nodded and smiled.

“Don’t worry so much about Daisy,” she said encouragingly. Wills nodded, seemingly in a daze and then wandered off. She stared off after him, wondering what had gotten into the usually boisterous chaser.

“There you are!” Molly exclaimed as she walked up. “This place turns into a bloody nightmare to find people.” She looked around at the scores of people now filling the flat. She then looked down at Dominique’s nearly empty drink. “Come on, I need a drink and you look like you could use a refill.”

“You’ve no idea,” Dominique said, rolling her eyes slightly.

“What happened?” Molly asked, leading them over to the drink table. Dominique downed hers and reached for a bottle of something called moonshine. She recalled that it was one of Daisy’s favorites and poured herself a generous helping.

“Remus and Daisy got into it again,” she said before taking a large drink and deciding she liked it. She poured a bit more and put the bottle down. Molly watched her, eyebrows raised, as she made herself a more practical cocktail.

“What was it this time?” she asked.

“I’m not sure what started it, but I walked in about midway and just in time to hear Remus spout some pretty despicable shite about John,” Dominique said. Molly’s eyes widened.

“What did he say?” she asked, leaning closer.

“Told Daisy to go off and get started on a gaggle of half-breeds,” Dominique said, glaring towards the balcony where Remus and Alan were still arguing. Or well, Remus attempted to at least, gesticulating wildly as he still couldn’t speak. Finally, though, Alan yelled something at him that had him starting to look shamed.

“Merlin’s bollocks, why would he say such a thing? I thought he liked Kingfisher?” Molly gasped. Dominique shrugged.

“I think he was just trying to get at her, you know,” she said, glancing at her cousin. “Jamie says he’s been jealous towards Daisy ever since the whole thing started.” Molly nodded.

“Probably not easy being the older brother with a little sister capable of doing some spectacular things,” she said before taking a sip. “And this must be hard on Daisy. Dealing with her new gifts and not being able to control them. Then having your boyfriend on your back about it. And then dealing with your bloody older brother. I feel for her.”

Dominique nodded. She did as well. After her talk with Iris, she felt her heart go out to her younger cousin. She was dealing with a lot – so much that Dominique couldn’t even fathom how she held it together as well as she did.

It was then that Dominique got the idea. She smiled and looked at Molly. 

“I know what we need to do,” she said. Molly looked at her confused.

“What?”

“Let’s have a girls’ night at our place. Next weekend. You, me, Lucy, Victoire and Daisy. Just like the old days,” she said. Molly thought it over and then smiled.

“I think that’s perfect,” she said. Dominique nodded.

“Then it’s settled.”


	11. Of Girls' Night & Talking Shit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The women of the Woods and Weasleys get together for a girls' night to blow off steam.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Family/Drama  
> Rating: M (Language, Mention of abuse)

Molly and Dominique just finished bringing the last of the food out to the living room and setting it up on the coffee table when Victoire and Lucy walked in.

“Oh, this smells heavenly,” Lucy moaned. “I’m absolutely starving after the day I’ve had.” She walked over and collapsed on the sofa with Victoire following suite.

“The day you had? I just finished a 12-hour shift at St. Mungo’s,” she said, sending a frown her cousin’s way.

“Come now, this isn’t a competition of who had the worse day,” Molly chided as she handed them both glasses of wine.

“Besides, I’m pretty sure Daisy’s week will have us all beat,” Dominique said as she took a seat on the floor.

“Where is she?” Victoire asked. “Teddy’s filled me in on the latest drama. Been meaning to catch up with her but just haven’t had the time.”

“Should be here soon. Told me she was skipping the Wanderers game to practice one-on-one with Nilsson,” Dominique said.

“Still fighting with Remus?” Victoire asked, her blue eyes full of worry. Dominique nodded. Since the party last weekend, she had taken to checking in with her cousin on a daily basis. Partly to let her know that she was there for her and partly to keep up with any developments in the various situations in her life.

“Sorry I’m late!” Daisy said as she popped in, bag over her shoulder. “I was working with Nilsson and lost track of time.” She dropped the bag and walked over, taking in the mountain of food and drinks. “Blimey, what’s the reason for this feast?”

“Come sit here and tell us about your day,” Victoire said, scooting over so Daisy could sit in between her and Lucy. Daisy sighed and walked over, plopping down.

“Is that curry from my favorite shop?” she asked, looking up at Molly and Dominique. They both smiled and nodded.

“We got all your favorites. Figured you could use a night away from the boys to just relax,” Dominique said.

“And talk shit about all of them,” Molly added with a devious grin. Daisy laughed.

“Merlin knows I could use it. We having a proper sleepover?” she asked.

“Might as well. We’ve got enough liquor to keep a pub stocked,” Molly said. “Don’t think any of us should attempt apparating with the amount we’re sure to drink by the end of the night.”

“I need a night away from Teddy,” Victoire said, sighing. “I love the man, but if I hear about bloody reports to his boss again, I’ll hex his mouth shut.”

“And I most definitely need a night away from Kelly,” Lucy added with a roll of her eyes. “You tell John you were staying over?” Daisy nodded.

“He went to the match and will probably end up on the sofa at my brothers’ place after the party,” she said, reaching for a glass of wine that Dominique had summoned for her.

“How are things going with him?” Molly asked as she started to fill a plate with food.

“About the same. We have mostly good days now, but every once in awhile, something will set him or me off and we have a bit of a row. But, I only broke one picture frame this week, so that’s an improvement,” she said with a small smile.

“Getting away from Remus seems to be helping,” Dominique commented.

“Thank Merlin, that prat is going to be the death of me,” Daisy said before taking a considerable sip from her glass. “And you know what gets me? He only goes after me. I’m not the only one in the bloody family with extra gifts. Why won’t he go after Jamie and give me a damn break?” Dominique and Molly shared a look.

“Suppose he’s used to always competing with Jamie. Competing with you is something new   
and different,” Lucy said before taking a bite.

“I always thought Remus was more sensible than that,” Victoire said.

“No, Jamie’s the sensible one – for the most part, anyway. But Remus has never been outright hateful before,” Molly said. “Annoying, frustrating and mischievous, yes. But never intentionally hurtful.”

“I take it since John went to the game, Remus eventually apologized for what he said?” Dominique asked. Daisy glared and nodded.

“The next day he came around, looking like a dog with its tail betwixt his legs. Course, I got no such apology. John ushered him out to a pub to talk it over before I got the chance to hex him,” she said, looking disappointed at the missed opportunity.

“I’m sure you’ll get another shot at him, knowing Remus,” Molly said. “Just… try not to destroy whatever building you’re in at the time.” Daisy chuckled, though Dominique could sense that she wasn’t completely amused by the comment. She remembered the memory of the pub catching fire and poked Molly, silently frowning at her. Molly immediately got the message and looked at Daisy. “Sorry… bad joke.” Daisy sighed.

“It’s alright. It’s true. I could bring an entire building down with just a temper tantrum nowadays,” she said glumly before nearly emptying the wine glass. Lucy promptly refilled it, adding more than what Dominique had put in originally.

“It won’t be like this forever, Daisy,” Victoire said soothingly. “You’ll get a handle on it eventually.” Daisy looked at her older cousin.

“Some days I wonder if I will,” she admitted. “Mum’s doing the best she can, but I can tell even she’s worried.”

“It took her years to get hers under control. So don’t beat yourself up if it takes longer than a few months,” Lucy said.

“It also took her falling into a coma,” Daisy said grimly. “Maybe I should just knock myself out and get it over with.” All the women in the room gasped.

“You’ll do no such thing, Daisy Nymphadora Wood,” Molly said, sounding every bit like their Gran Weasley. “It’s not going to be easy, but we all know you. You never give up once you’ve started something. And you always get it eventually. This’ll be no different.” Daisy smiled slightly, thankful for her cousins’ support.

“Besides, after all the crazy stunts you’ve pulled on the quidditch pitch the last two seasons, this should be nothing,” Lucy said, grinning. Daisy laughed.

“If only that were true,” she said.

“So, back to John,” Lucy said. “Has he gotten any closer to getting over his little rivalry with Wills?”

“What rivalry with Wills? I swear you lot leave me out of the best stories,” Victoire said, sitting up and turning to face Daisy. The ginger laughed wryly.

“John and I could be married for 20 years and he still won’t give that up,” she said.

“John seems to think that Wills knows more than he does and that he’s attempting to steal Daisy away from him,” Dominique told her older sister with a slight laugh.

“Has he gone daft? Wills has been joking about marrying you since before you were in Hogwarts!” Victoire said. “Though… didn’t you technically ask him to marry you first?” Daisy’s cheeks turned pink as she frowned at her cousin.

“Christ, I was 9 at the time. I also asked him to the Quidditch Ball every year until I was about 13,” she said, chuckling slightly. “And John does have at least half of that right… Wills does know more than he does.”

“What?! When did this happen?” Victoire nearly shouted.

“Yea, I was curious about how that came about as well. Jamie only said he overheard you and Lucy talking about something,” Dominique said. Lucy and Daisy shared a look, with Lucy smirking slightly.

“Might as well tell them the whole story,” she said smugly before sipping from her glass. Daisy sighed and rolled her eyes.

“Well… so that night at the party – when I first felt John – I was standing with Wills, Jamie and Remus. I got a bit confused and wasn’t sure who it came from or what it even was exactly, so I grabbed Lucy and we went to my room to talk-“ she said.

“Back up a moment. You didn’t know who it came from? Wouldn’t it have been obvious?” Molly asked. “You only get it with family and loved ones, yea?” Daisy’s cheeks started turning red as lavender started streaking up her hair. Lucy laughed loudly.

“She thought it might have been Wills,” she gleefully exclaimed. Daisy glared at her as her hair shifted into a deep purple. Dominique’s eyes widened.

“Wills? You seriously thought you had developed a connection with Wills?” she asked. Daisy shrugged.

“I was confused! John wasn’t nearby, but Wills was standing next to me. And he  _ is  _ always saying he’s going to marry me…”

“But Daisy, you make connections with people you love, not the other way around,” Dominique said. Everyone in the room save Lucy looked at Daisy in shock, though a grin was slowly spreading across Victoire’s face.

“Don’t look at me like that! I don’t love Wills like that, and you all know it! It could have been just because I think of him as an older brother,” she shouted as Lucy could no longer contain her giggles and was now outright cackling next to Daisy.

“Suppose it would make sense,” Victoire said contemplatively.

“Though, we wouldn’t blame you if you were in love with him. You two do have such a close relationship,” Molly said, grinning madly. “It would only be natural that it should develop into something more.”

“You all seem to conveniently forget that I  _ am _ currently living with my boyfriend whom I love very much,” Daisy said, shooting glares around the room.

“Relax, we’re just having a bit of fun,” Victoire said, chuckling. “You know we all adore John.”

“I can just picture Uncle Oliver’s face, though…” Lucy said, nearly dying of laughter.

“Oh, that would be funny,” Victoire chimed in. “What is it he always says to Wills?”

“You’ll never marry my daughter?” Molly suggested.

“Stop flirting and get the quaffle,” Dominique added.

“You’ll never be in my family,” Lucy chimed in.

“No, I think it’s quit talking and shoot the damn quaffle,” Molly said.

“I believe you all are looking for, ‘Wills! There’s no way in hell I’m letting you marry my daughter!’” Daisy said, after thinking for a moment. The women all looked at each other and burst out laughing.

“So… how did Wills end up getting let in on the big family secret?” Victoire asked, steering the conversation back on course.

“He apparently followed me, thinking he had upset me, to apologize and ended up overhearing me and Lucy talking about everything,” Daisy said, trying to calm down. “So, I  had no choice but to fill him in – I’m still rather shit at obliviating people. And just to clear up the whole connection thing, I asked him point blank if he loved me.”

“What did he say?” Molly asked, leaning forward.

“’Of course, I love you,’” Daisy replied with a dramatic roll of her eyes. “The man doesn’t know how to be serious to save his life.”

“He was probably just nervous,” Dominique said. Daisy nodded.

“He then said there was no way I could have connection with him as he doesn’t feel that way about me and it had to have been John,” she said with a sigh. “And then I made him swear not to mention anything about our family secret to anyone. Mum and Dad’ll go ballistic if they find out. Not to mention, John will probably break up with me on the spot.”

“Surely he wouldn’t if you explained it to him. You didn’t intend to tell Wills, he just put his nose where it didn’t belong – as usual,” Molly said. “John was always reasonable.”

“New John is not always reasonable,” Daisy retorted. “I wish I knew why it was Wills gets so under his skin – despite the obvious… Wills gets under everyone’s skin to some extent.”

“Wills makes him feel insecure,” Lucy said, causing everyone to stare at her. “What? He talks about it with Ryan and Ryan tells me.”

“Insecure?” Victoire asked.

“Well, yea. You know how Wills doesn’t have a humble bone in his body. Walks around like he’s the bloody Chosen One, most of the time. Anyway, you can’t deny that he and Daisy have a special relationship – always have since he started the team. And everyone bloody knows about it. So, it’s not so much that John is worried that Wills is actually going to step in and sweep Daisy away – he’s worried that he and Daisy will never have the same closeness that she has with Wills,” Lucy said.

The women were all quiet a moment, thinking it over.

“Makes sense… and especially after Wills calmed you down last weekend before you made something explode,” Dominique added. Daisy thought for a moment.

“Guess I never looked at it that way. I mean, Wills has just always been there in my life. I didn’t find it odd that he could talk me down and never really thought our relationship was anything unique or out of the ordinary,” she said finally. “But… I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to do a little more to reassure John that I’m not about to go riding off into the sunset with Wills.”

“Don’t let Wills hear you say that. He’ll go find a unicorn just so he could tempt you,” Victoire said with a chuckle. Daisy smiled and laughed.

“No, he’d show up with a Pegasus,” she said. “The grander the display, the better.” The group dissolved into giggles again.

“How are things going with your mum?” Molly asked after they had calmed down. Daisy had sat up and started helping herself to piles of food.

“A bit better. I’ve gotten to where I can do about a couple shields at a time, but I’m still struggling to do other spells while I’ve got them up,” she said with a grimace. “Jamie’s up to about four and can keep them going while shooting off jinxes for a time.”

“Who are you shooting jinxes at while practicing?” Victoire asked. “Please tell me it’s Remus.” Daisy laughed and shook her head.

“I’d like to but he’s been banned from helping us since he ends up making things worse. We just shoot at some practice dummies that Mum and Uncle George created for us,” she said. “It’s getting a bit easier, but leaves me utterly exhausted afterwards.”

“You’d think after all those years playing quidditch you’d have a higher stamina,” Molly said. Daisy shrugged.

“It’s different. Quidditch requires a lot of athletic ability and concentration, but this needs more than that,” she said before taking a massive bite of pizza.

“Anymore breakthroughs on the investigation front?” Victoire asked, looking at Molly and Dominique. They both glanced at each other, suddenly feeling a bit downtrodden. After the initial excitement of discovering Nikos Aliefantis, they had hit a roadblock and were struggling to find anything remotely related to his current whereabouts.

“Not since we spoke with the muggle professor, unfortunately,” Dominique said. “Chris wasn’t lying when he said it takes time to track someone down.”

“So you’re on first-name basis with Abbott now? Noticed he started calling you Dom this week at the office. Anything you want to share?” Molly asked, waggling her eyebrows. Daisy sat up, studying her cousin.

“Merlin, no. Would you stop with that?” Dominique said, frowning at her cousin and roommate.

“You and Chris?” Daisy asked. Dominique looked over at her, eyes wide.

“It’s nothing like that. Molly just likes to make something out of nothing,” she said quickly. Daisy shrugged.

“He’s actually a really nice guy,” she said. “It’s worth giving him a chance.”

“Well… he does seem to be less annoying than I originally thought he would be,” Dominique admitted. “But, we only have a professional relationship. Nothing more.”

“Right, she’s saving herself for Magnus anyway,” Molly said, grinning.

“Who’s Magnus?” Victoire asked. Dominique glared at Molly again.

“Aunt Hermione’s new assistant. And no, there’s nothing going on there either,” she said, her cheeks turning pink. “While he may be attractive, there is definitely nothing going on.”

“Sure there’s not. Then why is it you spend extra long getting ready on the mornings you deliver reports to Aunt Hermione?” Molly asked innocently.

“I do not!” Dominique shouted, looking scandalized.

“And then she comes back with her face all flushed and smiling,” Molly said, looking at her sister and cousins on the sofa.

“That was just because I had had a good chat with Aunt Hermione!” Dominique yelled. “I was excited about the news I shared with her.”

“Of course… that was it,” Molly said before popping a crisp into her mouth.

“I told you, I’m not getting involved with anyone until after this whole danger mess is over with,” Dominique said, straightening up. “I didn’t just break up with Paul for no reason or because I was bored with him, after all.” She took a drink of wine, sulking. The rest of the group went quiet, realizing they had hit a nerve.

“How did your talk with him at the party go?” Lucy asked softly. Dominique shrugged.

“How do you think it went? He asked if we could have another go and I had to break his heart – again,” she said bitterly.

“You don’t have to make yourself suffer because of me,” Daisy said quietly. Dominique looked over at her, seeing the guilt clearly on her face. She sighed as her face softened.

“It’s not your fault, Daisy. It’s just… I don’t want to put him in any danger,” she said. Daisy nodded.

“I know the feeling,” she said. She sat back on the sofa and it was as though she had deflated. “Some days I wonder if it would be better if John and I broke up. I can’t bring myself to tell him the full truth. But I worry about him being too close to us whenever this bomb drops.” Lucy looked over at her, the same worry on her face.

“I’m actually thinking about telling Kelly everything,” she said. “Just so he can make an informed decision. If he wants to stick it out with me or go.”

“But Lucy… you two have been together for almost three years now. Surely you don’t actually think he would leave because of this,” Molly said, obviously concerned about her younger sister.

“I know. It kills me to keep things from him. And I’m terrified of if he does decide to leave once he knows. But at the same time, I want to keep him safe,” she said. “And he won’t be safe if he stays. Or if he’s kept in the dark.”

“I doubt that Ryan would leave you because of this,” Molly said. “He loves you too much.” Lucy looked over at her sister, shooting her grateful smile.

“I hope so,” she said. “Because it’s going to take a lot more than love to get through whatever is coming,” she said solemnly. They all went silent, retreating into their own thoughts.

“Teddy and I have decided to put off children because of it,” Victoire said softly. They all turned and looked at her in surprise. Victoire had made it no secret among them that she was ready to be a mother. “Just… we don’t want to be raising a child in the middle of a war and risk leaving behind an orphan.”

Dominique’s heart sank at the statement as all the old fears came rushing back in. She looked around the room, worrying that sometime in the near future, one of these women wouldn’t be there. Daisy put her plate down and looked as though everything was her fault, while next to her, Lucy looked away, though Dominique caught the sheen of unshed tears in her eyes. Next to her, Molly was looking down at her hands, brow furrowed. Her sister – usually so optimistic and bright – sighed as though she were carrying the world on her shoulders.

“Merlin’s beard, what is wrong with all of us!” Dominique exclaimed, causing everyone to jump. “Look, we’re not sure what’s coming, but we do know one thing – we’re not going to lose.”

“How can you know that?” Daisy asked, a hitch in her voice.

“Because I know us,” Dominique said, beginning to smile. “Our family has survived two wars. You and your brother and your mom have been given amazing gifts – and yes, I do think they are gifts, no matter what you say. With all of us, there is no way we won’t win and overcome whatever is in the future.”

She could see her resolve slowly start to spread around the room. Victoire smiled and nodded as she reached over and squeezed Daisy’s hand. The guilt started to leave Daisy’s face. Lucy blinked back her tears and nodded her head in agreement. Molly beamed at Dominique.

“I don’t know about you lot, but I think we have a pretty badass family. Even Remus, though he’s being a git,” Molly said. Daisy chuckled.

“He’s pretty good at jinxes when he puts his mind to it,” she admitted.

“See? We just need to stick together and we’ll get through this,” Dominique said. 

Daisy nodded.

“You’re right,” she said. “And that, I think, deserves a toast.” She grinned as five shot glasses zoomed over to them with a bottle of tequila lazily following.

“Still can’t get over how you just do all of this without a wand,” Victoire said, sitting up and plucking one of the glasses out of the air after the liquor had been poured. Daisy shrugged.

“Once I got out of my head, it came naturally,” she said, taking hers. They all held their glasses up.

“To the Wood-Weasley-Potters!” she declared loudly.

“To kicking ass and taking names,” Molly followed. The five women grinned at each other and took their shots. Dominique smiled as she looked around as the relaxed atmosphere returned to the room.

She could feel, in that moment, all the way down to her bones, that whatever was   
coming, they would be victorious.


	12. Team Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dominique and Chris finally get another lead on the professor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Family/Drama  
> Rating: M (Language, Mention of abuse)

Dominique sighed as she sat back in her chair and began to massage her temples. It had been weeks since they found the tip about the wizarding professor and still they had yet to locate him. Despite having tons of his books and manuscripts in the archives, there was next to nothing on the professor himself in the Ministry records. Not even a picture, which they all thought odd. Dominique felt like her eyes were going to pop out of her head, she had read so many nearly indecipherable records books.

“Get your things, Dom,” Chris said suddenly from across from her. Dominique jumped slightly, forgetting that he was there. Molly and Toby had gone off to lunch about 10 minutes ago, though Dominique said she wanted to finish up the section of the record book she was looking through before she left. She hadn’t realized that Chris stayed behind as well.

“Why?” she asked.

“We’re getting nowhere with this stuff. I think we should visit human resources at the last university he worked at,” he said, pushing his chair back and standing.

“What makes you think we’ll find something there? He hasn’t worked there in years,” Dominique said, looking up at him. Chris sighed.

“They usually have a database with personal records of all employees, both past and present. Even though he’s not there anymore, we should be able to find a phone number or address – at the very least where he lived while he was teaching. Then we can go there and speak with the landlord and try to find a forwarding address,” he said, looking as though he were explaining this to a child. Dominique sat up and narrowed her eyes.

“You don’t have to be so patronizing,” she said, crossing her arms in front of her.

“Would you just get your things so we can go? I’m going to start crawling up the walls if I have to spend another minute in these caves,” he said with a huff. Dominique didn’t say anything as she stood and pulled her wand out. She grabbed her robe off the back of her chair and quickly transfigured it into a smart blazer. Smiling at her work, she pulled it on then reached for her purse and pulled it over her shoulder, sliding her wand into it.

“Ready,” she said as she started walking to the door. She then stopped and turned to look at Chris, studying his apparel.

“Like what you see?” he asked with a smirk. Dominique sighed.

“Not particularly. You might want to look a bit more muggle if we’re to go exploring a muggle university campus,” she said. Chris pulled his wand out and quickly transfigured his auror robes into a normal-looking suit and stuck his wand back in his jacket pocket.

“Happy?” he asked, holding his arms out. Dominique looked him up and down, seeming   
unimpressed.

“It’ll do,” she said before turning and walking out with Chris chuckling as he followed her.

~~~

“So, what exactly is the plan?” Dominique asked as they walked across the large campus. She looked around, taking in the large amounts of muggles either rushing off to class or lounging around the large quad they were now traversing. A lot of them looked like they were close to her age – some older. She couldn’t imagine having to attend another four years or more of school after Hogwarts. She enjoyed school, but was definitely glad to be finished with it.

“Well, we go into the office and just charm whoever is working the desk into searching for and giving us the information we’re seeking,” he said nonchalantly. Dominique whipped her head around to look at him.

“But we’re not supposed to use magic on muggles,” she whispered viciously.

“Says the woman who obliviated a professor a few weeks ago,” Chris said, shooting her a smile.

“That was different,” she said, looking forward again. “We’re allowed to do that. It’s part of the job.”

“Relax, Dom. We’re working for the auror’s office. There are some loopholes for us as well,” Chris said with a chuckle. “We won’t do anything that isn’t necessary and I assure you, it won’t hurt them.”

“Couldn’t we just ask nicely?” Dominique said.

“You can’t expect to just waltz in there and they’ll give all the personal information about someone to two complete strangers just because they ask nicely,” Chris said.

“We could say we’re with Scotland Yard again,” Dominique suggested.

“No. They’ll want to see warrants and paperwork before they hand over the information that way. Trust me, Dom. It’ll be fine. It’s not like I’m going to use the Imperius Curse or something,” Chris said lightly. He chuckled as Dominique’s eyebrows shot up and her cheeks reddened at the mere mention of an Unforgiveable Curse.

They continued walking until Chris led them into one of the many stately buildings on the campus. They walked to the lifts and went up to the third floor. Upon disembarking, Chris led her down the hall and into a rather ordinary office. Dominique was slightly disappointed at the mundane appearance compared to the grand architecture of the building itself.

“Can I help you?” a cheerful older woman said from behind a counter, a pair of glasses sliding down her nose. Chris walked over and smiled as he leaned against the counter.

“I certainly hope so,” Chris said, looking down at the nameplate on the counter, “Ms. Smith.” Dominique stepped up to his side, looking at the woman, though keeping an eye on Chris out of the corner of her eye. “We’re hoping to find an old family friend. He was a professor here several years ago.”

“Is that so?” the woman asked.

“Yes, my father unfortunately passed on recently and we’re trying to track him down to let him know. They were good friends for a very long time, though… we seemed to have lost track of him. It’s been years but as one of father’s oldest friends, we felt he had a right to know,” Chris explained, looking rather forlorn. Dominique wanted to roll her eyes as the older woman seemed to be eating it up. Her brow was furrowed as she stood and leaned over the counter, patting Chris on the arm.

“Oh, you poor dears,” the woman said, looking back and forth between the two. “Well, we’re not supposed to give out personal information of our staff, but… just give me his name and I’ll see what I can find.” Chris smiled. 

“Thank you so much. It’s Nikos Aliefantis. He taught history,” Chris said, leaning on the counter. Dominique managed to look downcast as the woman glanced at her. She just tssked and looked back at the computer.

“My heart goes out to you. You both look too young to have lost a father,” she said as she typed.

“We were very close,” Dominique said softly, earning a warning glance from Chris. He didn’t want her to say too much or make the story murkier.

“Well… let’s see here. Yes, we do still have Nikos Aliefantis on record,” the woman said, adjusting her glasses as she peered down at the screen. She reached for a pad of paper and a pen. “I’m not sure if he’s still there, but here is the address and phone number we have listed for him.” She quickly scribbled it down and then tore it off and handed it to Chris. “Now, this is just between me and you.”

Chris smiled and took a deep breath.

“Thank you. This means so much to us,” he said dramatically, as he took Dominique’s  hand and his eyes started to tear up slightly.

“Oh, you dears. If there’s anything else I can do to help, you just come right back, understood?” the woman said, her own eyes starting to tear up. Chris nodded.

“Thank you. I hope you have a wonderful day, Ms. Smith,” he said before turning and guiding Dominique out of the office. He didn’t say anything until they had exited the lift on the first floor and quickly walked out back into the quad. He then pulled the paper out of his pocket and looked it over.

“So what charm did you end up using?” Dominique asked. She hadn’t seen or heard him do anything, but figure he must have done it while she was busy looking around the office as they walked in.

“Just good, old fashioned Chris Abbott charm,” he said, grinning down at her. Dominique frowned slightly.

“You mean… you didn’t use any magic on her?” she asked. Chris shook his head.

“You’d be surprised how much information you can get from someone by playing off their sympathy,” he said, turning his attention back to the paper. Dominique looked over, seeing an address and phone number written down in neat, loopy handwriting.

“What are the chances that he’s still there?” she asked, glancing up at him.

“Slim considering he seems to have dropped off the planet since he last taught here. But, maybe we can speak to the neighbors or landlord. Figure out if they know where he went next,” he said. He led her over to a deserted alley in between buildings and held his arm out. “Ready?” Dominique nodded as she looped her arm through his and closed her eyes.

~~~

When she opened them after a loud pop, they were standing in an older neighborhood. It looked a bit rundown, but was still clean and respectable. Chris looked down at the paper and then at the building numbers. He started walking towards one that bore the same number as the paper.

They walked in and started towards the second floor, which was where the flat in question was located.

“This is it,” Dominique said, stopping in front of No. 203. She glanced at Chris and then took a deep breath before knocking. Excitement started to bubble inside her. She knew there was a low chance the professor was actually here, but at least they were out doing something. She felt as though they were accomplishing something, even if it was just determining where he was not.

“Yes, can I help you?” a young woman said as she answered the door, seeming confused as to why two strangers would be knocking on her door in the middle of the day.

“We’re looking for a Nikos Aliefantis and were wondering if perhaps he still lived here?” Dominique asked, smiling warmly at the woman in order to appear friendly and non-threatening. The woman opened the door a bit more, balancing a baby on her hip.

“I’m sorry, but no. He may have let the flat before me and my husband. We moved in about six years ago,” she said. “Mrs. Weathers down the hall might be able to help you. She’s lived here since the bloody place was built. Just a moment.” The woman shut the door for a minute and then opened it again, re-emerging in a pair of slip-on loafers. She shut the door behind her and led the way down the hall. “Why are you looking for this man?” she asked, looking back at the couple. Dominique glanced at Chris.

“He’s an old family friend that we unfortunately lost track of when we moved abroad,” she said smoothly. “Now that we’re back, we thought we’d track him down and get in touch.” The woman nodded and then stopped in front of No. 204. She knocked and then shifted the baby to her other hip. It looked back at Chris and smiled, reaching for him. Chris frowned slightly and took a step back. Dominique had to cover her mouth to keep the giggles from pouring out.

“Alecia! What can I help you with?” a pleasant old woman said as she opened the door.

“Hello, Mrs. Weathers. These two just knocked on my door, askin’ about the man who lived there before me. Thought you could help them,” she said, stepping aside to show Chris and Dominique.

“Yes, we’re looking to locate Nikos Aliefantis,” Dominique said.

“Ah, yes! The professor! A very charming man,” the old woman said, smiling. “Come in, come in.” She motioned the two in as they smiled their thanks at the young woman. She started back down the hall as Mrs. Weathers shut the door behind them.

“I believe I have his new address somewhere around here. He sent me Christmas cards for a time though I haven’t received one in a couple years or so,” she said, walking through the room to a large desk that set in front of window. “Have a seat, please. It might take me some time. Can’t see like I used to.”

“Thank you very much for helping us, Mrs. Weathers,” Dominique said as she and Chris settled on the sofa.

“Oh, it’s no problem at all,” the old woman said as she sat and opened one of the lower drawers and shuffled some papers around. “I quite enjoyed our chats. He’s a very knowledgeable man. Wrote lots of books, you know.”

“How long was he your neighbor?” Dominique asked.

“Oh, about 10… 15 years, I should think,” the woman said, stopping her search momentarily. She then set back to searching through envelopes. “He has the loveliest accent. From Greece, as I recall. Though being an old family friend, I’m sure you know that.” She glanced over at Dominique who smiled and nodded.

Chris took the opportunity to look around the old woman’s home, noting the overabundance of knick knacks and photos. He secretly hoped the woman would hurry up. The longer she made small talk with them and asked about their relationship to the professor, the higher the chance one of them could screw up the story and make her suspicious.

“Ah, here we are!” Mrs. Weathers exclaimed, pulling an envelope out of the group. Chris breathed a sigh of relief. “He always sent me a Christmas card every year,” she said, standing and walking over with it. “I don’t like to throw things out because you never know when it might come in handy. Good thing I did.” Dominique took the envelope and noted the address in the top left corner.

Paris, France.

She smiled and looked up at the elderly woman.

“Thank you so much,” she said, pulling a notebook and pen out of her purse. She quickly copied the address down and handed the envelope back to Mrs. Weathers. She and Chris stood.

“It’s no problem at all. I hope you’re able to get in touch with him. Tell him Mrs. Weathers says hello,” the woman said as she walked them back to the door. “If there’s anything else you need, feel free to come back or contact me.”

“We will. Have a good day, Mrs. Weathers,” Chris said. The woman smiled and waved as they stepped out into the hallway and quickly walked down the hall. Dominique looked down at the notebook in her hand with the address on it. After discovering that he was no longer in Britain, she was hesitant to get excited about the new address. There was no telling if he would be in France either.

“Do you suppose he might be here?” she asked, glancing up at Chris. He shrugged.

“The records on him here seem to stop about six years ago, so it makes sense that he would move there. Whether he’s still there, I suppose we’ll have to find out,” Chris said. Dominique nodded as she slid it in her purse. They were walking down the stairs to the first floor when Dominique stopped. She grabbed Chris’ arm and yanked him over to a stop.

“We need to go to Paris,” she said, when he turned to look at her, questioning her actions.

“I doubt Teddy is going to let us go running off to France,” he said, turning to keep walking down the stairs.

“I’m serious, Chris,” Dominique said, pulling on his arm again. “Look, my brother lives there now – we can stay with him. And we have a cousin on our mum’s side who works in the French Ministry of Magic. Not to mention, I do speak fluent French, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Chris narrowed his eyes at her.

“I can speak French. That’s not what I’m worried about,” he said.

“Then what?” she asked. “Look, let’s just go for a couple days, poke around and see what we can find. Worst case, we don’t find anything and we can cross it off our list, come back and keep at it here. Best case, we find another lead or we find him. And don’t worry about Teddy. I can talk him into anything.” Chris studied Dominique a moment, then nodded, turned and continued walking down the stairs. Dominique huffed slightly, irritated that he didn’t say anything to her.

“Really? You’re not even going to say anything?” she said.

“You want me to say something? Fine. We leave tomorrow afternoon. Can you get word to your brother on when we’ll arrive?” he asked. Dominique froze as she stepped on to the first floor landing.

“You agree? We’re going to Paris?” she asked, starting to smile. Chris turned to face her and shrugged.

“Would be faster for us to go and investigate ourselves. We seem to make a good team. I think you’re right. We should go to Paris,” he said, smiling slightly at her. Dominique stopped herself from squealing in joy and instead settled for a triumphant grin.

“Wait, but what about Teddy?” she asked.

“Let me take care of him,” Chris said, glancing over his shoulder. He stepped over to a quiet corner on the first floor of the building and looked down at Dominique. “Ready?” She nodded and stepped close to him, grabbing hold of his arm.

“Let’s go,” she said with a smile just before they disappeared with a pop.


	13. The Downward Spiral of Pixie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisy's abilities are causing more problems for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Family/Drama  
> Rating: M (Language, Mention of abuse)

Daisy narrowed her eyes as she saw an opening form between Kelly and Cunningham. It was slight, but she was sure she could fit through if she rotated. Leaning completely flush against her broom, she shot forward, shifting her bodyweight to the right so that she was flying on her side. She whooshed through, and smiled to herself, happy to have gotten one move down finally. She pulled up and looked around, trying to remember where she last saw the snitch.

“Daisy! Watch it!” she heard John shout. She looked around wildly, trying to find the bludger that was likely heading her way. She dove down towards the pitch and then had the air knocked out of her when the bludger laid into her left side. She lost her grip on the broom and tumbled through the air. Luckily she had only been a few feet from the ground. She groaned slightly as she rolled down the field a bit before coming to a stop on her back.

She lifted her head slightly and let it fall back on the ground with a thud, grimacing slightly. It was the fourth bludger she had taken in practice that day and they were still in the morning session. She was no stranger to getting hit, but with her focus off since the first match of the season, she had been taking more of them lately. Didn’t help that she was still pissed at herself for missing the snitch in yesterday’s match against the Harpies.

“Are you okay?” Kelly asked as he appeared above her, his face worried. “You didn’t have any funny feelings or anything?” He reached down and offered a hand to help her up. She was grateful to have one more person on the team who was let in on what was going on with her, though she knew Lucy had told him everything and she worried he would let something slip to John. Thankfully Lucy had conveniently left out that Wills was in the know.

“No, nothing like that,” she said, brushing grass off herself. “Just old fashioned can’t concentrate.” She took a deep breath and looked around, noticing the entire team was watching them, making sure she was okay.

“I’m fine!” she yelled. “Just frustrated!”

“You’ve been taking bludger hits far too often lately,” Kelly said.

“I know. It’s screwing with me keeping my eye on the snitch,” Daisy said, walking over to grab her broom from where it landed a few feet away. She grabbed it a bit too roughly than intended and it nearly shot out of her hand towards Kelly. He jumped back, hands up. Daisy stared at him a moment before he smiled tensely and dropped his hands.

“Sorry… reaction from last time,” he said with a nervous chuckle. The other day at practice Daisy had gotten so frustrated that her broom flew out of her hand and given him a black eye.

“No, it’s my fault. I just can’t seem to keep things under control,” she said, frowning at the ground.

“Been spending more time with your mum?”

“Yea, but it just makes me more frustrated because I’m still not getting it,” Daisy whispered furiously.

“Just… keep at it. It’ll come eventually,” he said with an encouraging smile.

“I wish people would stop saying that,” Daisy growled.

“Wood! Kelly! If you’re done with your little tea party, the rest of the team would like to get back to practice!” Nilsson yelled. They both looked over at him where he hovered nearby in the air.

“Yes, Coach!” they yelled. Kelly hopped on his broom and took off while Daisy followed. She flew up high above the pitch and hovered, watching while the chasers set up again and the beaters circled around them, waiting to start launching bludgers at them.

She silently fumed. It had been months and she still felt no closer to controlling her errant magic. The fights and explosions had thankfully lessened since she moved in with John, but that didn’t seem to stop the constant worrying and fretting. Or the random moments when she would sense one of her brothers and nearly stop mid-flight as the vision overtook her.

Jamie had long gained control of his, but Daisy was still too sensitive to them. She had had one in another match last week against the Kestrals and very nearly collided with their keeper after seeing Alan getting knocked off his broom with a bludger. He and Remus had been playing against the Cannons at the time and while she had stopped herself from orbing, she had very nearly taken Hugo Larssen out.

It rattled her so much that she just barely missed catching the snitch. While the Arrows had still won, Nilsson yelled at her about focus for 10 minutes after the match anyway.

Didn’t help that the press was starting to take notice. Another article about her declining performance had ran that morning with the writer wondering if her first two seasons were just a fluke or if the famous Pixie was already starting to lose her edge. Daisy could feel tears prick her eyes as she remembered every single mistake the writer pointed out clearly. She had been reliving each one regardless.

She had started avoiding the players’ exit after matched, opting instead to go home straight from the locker room. John and Kelly had tried to get her to face the press and show she wasn’t affected by it, but she just couldn’t do it. Even the piles of fan letters that were still coming in didn’t seem to change her mind.

“What’s going on, Wood?” Nilsson asked as he flew up next to her. Daisy jumped and quickly grabbed her broom to keep her balance. She hadn’t seen or heard him fly up. She must really be losing her edge.

“Nothing, Coach,” she said, looking back down to the field. “I’m just getting my bearings before I give it another go.” Nilsson looked at her, taking in the tears she was frantically trying to hide and the firm look she was using to cover up the obvious fear in her eyes.

“You’ve got to stop beating yourself up, Wood,” he finally said, looking back down at the team.

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

“I can see it every time you make another mistake. You’re dwelling on it too much and it’s got you stuck in your head. You won’t get back to playing like you usually do until you get out of your head,” he said. Daisy sighed.

“If only it were that easy,” she muttered.

“Well, it’s not impossible,” he said, shooting a sideways glance at her. “But you’re not even trying.” Daisy whipped her head over to scowl at him.

“I am trying. I’m bloody beating myself up trying,” she said indignantly.

“I can see it in your eyes every time you get hit or fall or miss the snitch,” he said. “You’re giving up.”

“I’m not giving up!” Daisy shouted, feeling her broom jerk a bit under her. She tightened her grip, closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself before the broom shot off on its own accord. “I’m not giving up,” she said again, this time more softly. She opened her eyes. “I’m just… I feel lost.”

Nilsson looked over at her, his concern apparent in his ice blue eyes. Daisy could feel it and refused to look at him. It would only make her feel worse than she already did.

“There’s just… so much going on in my head that I can’t see to stay focused. I keep thinking about all those mistakes and then that leads to new mistakes and then I get stuck thinking about those too,” she admitted, blinking rapidly to keep the tears at bay. She’d be damned if she was going to cry on the pitch.

“Stop thinking so much, rookie,” he said, looking back down to the field. Daisy laughed haggardly.

“If only I had a galleon for every time I’ve been told that the last few months,” she said wearily.

“What’s really going on, Daisy? Is it something with Kingfisher?” he asked.

“No,” she said immediately. “For once it’s not that.” And it was true. Since she had moved in with him, John had laid off on all the talk about connections, content for the time being that she had at least felt him. She didn’t have the heart to tell him that she hadn’t gotten so much as a faint breeze of it since the party. Which was yet another thing that weighed heavily on her mind.

“Then what is it? Your dad being too hard on you? Your brothers?”

“Not that either,” she said.

“Any other family stuff?”

“I can’t tell you,” Daisy said bitterly, still not looking at him. Nilsson looked over, taking in her rigid posture, nostrils flaring as she glared out into space.

“You know you can talk to me about anything,” he said. “I’ve been your coach for two seasons now. You can trust me.”

“It’s not about trust,” she said. “It’s… I just can’t.” Her eyes found John, who was glancing up at her whenever he wasn’t batting the bludger off to try and hit one of the chasers.

“Whatever it is that’s bothering you… I know you, Daisy. You’re strong. But… you can’t carry the whole world on your shoulders all the time. Sometimes it’s okay to ask for help,” he said. Daisy glanced over at him. She wished she could ask someone to help with this. She wished she could ask someone to take all her gifts away so she could go back to be just normal Daisy. Not future savior of the wizarding world Daisy.

She sighed and shook her head.

“If only it were that simple,” she said. She looked back down at the chasers, following their formation with her eyes. After Nilsson didn’t respond, she took a deep breath and tightened her gloves.

“If that’s it, I should get back to practice,” she said, still not looking at him.

“Go on.”

~~~

Nilsson took a deep breath as he walked down the hallway at the stadium in Puddlemere, nearing Oliver’s office. He had never been to the stadium before, but he couldn’t think of anyone else he could share his concerns with about Daisy. He knew the seeker would likely be angry with him for going to her father, but at the moment, it was the only way he could see about getting some answers.

The door was open as he stepped up. He peeked in, seeing Oliver bent over the desk, looking down at a board laid there, in fierce concentration as a number of symbols flew around. Nilsson knocked on the open door, waiting to walk in until Oliver looked up.

“Lucas. What can I do for you?” Oliver asked, a mixture of concern and confusion on his face. He knew the only reason the Arrows coach would come to visit was Daisy. Nilsson cleared his throat as he stepped in and took a seat across from Oliver.

“Well… I’m here about Daisy,” he said, looking up at the older coach. Oliver sat down and sighed.

“Figured as much… she didn’t blow up the locker room, did she?” he asked, attempting to pass it off a joke, though the worry in his eyes didn’t fool Nilsson.

“No. But… she’s not been herself lately. Not since Jamie’s accident if I’m going to be truthful,” he said. Oliver nodded.

“She’s been a bit frazzled about that,” he admitted.

“She disappeared in practice not long ago… when she came back she said she ended up in Wigtown,” Nilsson said. Oliver’s eyes widened. None of the Wood children had obviously told him.

“Is that so?” he asked, rubbing his face.

“She’s been unfocused, sloppy, uncoordinated. She randomly freezes during practice and matches. Basically everything that you and I both know Daisy Wood is not normally,” Nilsson replied.

He studied Oliver a few moments, waiting for him to say something. When he didn’t volunteer anything, he continued.

“She won’t tell me anything about what’s going on with her. Said she can’t. Though she will volunteer things that it is not,” Nilsson said. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on or do I need to go to Iris?”

Oliver seemed to collapse back into his chair, obviously debating something in his head. He looked at Nilsson and then away, different emotions playing across his face.

“We probably should have let you in on things when it first happened,” he said finally.

“What happened?”

“Well, you heard about the accident?” Oliver asked, looking at Nilsson.

“Yea, Jamie got hit and Daisy stopped his fall,” he said.

“The accident… Daisy and Jamie have… well, they’ve picked up some more of their mother’s gifts,” Oliver said. He had decided to let Nilsson in on only the parts he needed to know for the time being. “They can orb, do wandless magic. And they’ve developed connections with each other as well as their other brothers, me and Iris.”

Nilsson frowned as he sat up in his chair.

“What do you mean connections?” he asked. Oliver took a deep breath.

“It’s like… whenever we’re nearby, they can sense our emotions. At a distance, usually they don’t feel anything. But they can tell when we’re in danger or about to get injured. Jamie’s learned to control it, but Daisy… she’s been struggling with it,” he said. Nilsson nodded slowly.

“So when she went to Wigtown?”

“Remus or Alan must have been about to get into some sort of accident,” Oliver said. Nilsson took a deep breath, thinking over what Oliver had just told him.

“Well… this makes things more complicated,” Nilsson said.

“Maybe… I know she’s going to hate this, but maybe you should consider putting her on reserves for the time being. Until she can get it under control. She’s been under a lot of stress and it’s caused quite a few disasters lately,” Oliver said. Nilsson looked at him, noting that putting Daisy on reserves seemed to be the last thing Oliver Wood wanted to see. Truth be told, while the thought had crossed his mind, he couldn’t really stomach the idea either. And he knew Daisy would certainly have a few choice words to say about it.

“What kind of disasters?” Nilsson asked.

“She caused all the windows in their flat to explode after a fight with Remus and John one day. Blew up John’s TV another time from what I heard as well,” Oliver confessed. Nilsson’s eyebrows rose.

“She’s that volatile?” he asked.

“Not lately, but she can be,” Oliver said wearily. “Iris said it’s unfortunately a side effect. She was the same before she got it under control. Something would cause it to flare up or set it off and… sometimes people got hurt.”

“What did Iris do?” Nilsson asked. “To get it under control?” Oliver was silent. He looked at Nilsson, his eyes suddenly full of anguish.

“She didn’t. Well not through work… she tried to use too much of it too soon… it put her in a coma for over a year. She had gained control when she woke up in the middle of the Battle of Hogwarts,” he said quietly. “We’ve been trying everything we can think of to help Daisy, but not much has been working. Mostly Band-Aid stuff. Moving her out of the flat when she and Remus started arguing too much. Trying to work with her, keep her practicing. But… she doesn’t seem to be improving.” Nilsson nodded.

“Is there anything I can do?” he asked. “Maybe I could start her on some specialized training or…”

“I don’t think there’s much any of us can do,” Oliver admitted. “She’s either going to get it or she’s not.”

“Is there any information we could look into? Other people like them?” Nilsson asked. Oliver shook his head.

“Not much. Some of the family at the Ministry have been looking into it. They think they’ve found a professor who might know something, but haven’t been able to track him down yet,” Oliver said. Nilsson nodded again. He then stood.

“Thanks for telling me, Oliver. I’ve got some things to think about. If you’ll excuse me,” he said before turning and walking out. Oliver watched him and then sighed heavily and sat back in his chair, wondering just what they were going to do with Daisy.

~~~

“What did Coach talk to you about today?” John asked, looking over at Daisy who was curled up at the other end of the sofa, her arms wrapped around a cushion as they watched TV.

“Just… wonderin’ where my head’s been at lately,” she said.

“Did you tell him?” he asked. Daisy shook her head.

“I’m not supposed to, remember?” she said bitterly. “Though I suppose it’d be loads easier if I could.”

“Why can’t you?” John asked. Daisy shot him a look.

“My family,” she said.

“Surely you can tell him some things. He’d probably go easier on you if he knew about the whole connection thing,” John said. Daisy rolled her eyes.

“I was told to keep as much to myself and the family as possible,” she said, starting to get irritated.

“But if it could help you on the pitch, surely they’d understand-“

“I can’t tell him, John,” she snapped. John was silent a few moments. He looked back to the TV, not sure how to continue. He could see with each passing day, Daisy retreated more and more into herself. She took every failure hard. And there seemed to be nothing anyone could do to bring her out of her funk.

“Is there anything you want to talk about with me?” he asked. Daisy looked at him and started to open her mouth. “I know, I know. There are things that you can’t tell me. But is there something – anything – you can talk about? Because I don’t think it’s good for you to bottle it up.”

Daisy snapped her head back towards the TV, fighting with herself.

“I can’t,” she said. “Best to just leave it be.”

“I can’t just let it go,” John said. “You’re my girlfriend and something is wrong. Forgive me for wanting to try and help.” Daisy shot up off the sofa and began pacing.

“Even if I could tell you, there’s nothing you can do to help me,” she said.

“I don’t believe that-“

“Well you best start believin’ because it’s true,” Daisy spat. “Even my own mother – who gave me these damn abilities – can’t even help me.” John sat back on the sofa, watching her continue to walk back and forth like a caged animal.

“I mean, Merlin, you can’t even imagine what it’s like!” she shouted. “Every time a damn bludger heads toward Jamie, Alan or Remus, I see it – even though I’d relish the idea of Remus getting his head taken off by one. And then sometimes, I just, I get so angry and frustrated and I feel it… it starts just bubbling up and I can’t stop it. And I know that I have to because I could hurt someone, but I can’t! I bloody can’t!”

John looked around the room, noticing the pictures frames starting to shake.

“Daisy…”

“And then Mum is always, ‘You have to find your center.’ As if I didn’t need one more thing to fucking thing about,” Daisy continued. “And Jamie’s over there just content as can be. Doing everything as easy as breathin’. While I can’t even make a damn shield stay up for longer than two minutes before I want to pass out.”

The picture frames were rattling even more vehemently. John was becoming more confused by her rant, but the most important thing in that moment was calming her down.

“Daisy, I really think you should calm down,” John said soothingly, looking around the room.

“Don’t you bloody start too, John Kingfisher,” she yelled.

“I’m not trying to tell you to do anything, but really-“

“Just shut it, John!”

Suddenly the doorbell sounded and John hopped up, running to it while praying Daisy got herself under control. He nearly collapsed with relief when he saw Oliver on the doorstep.

“Thank god you’re here. Can you calm her down?” he asked, pulling the older man into the flat.

“What are you talking- Oh Merlin,” Oliver said as he walked into the living room and saw Daisy still pacing and fuming to herself, the picture frames starting to fall off the walls they were shaking so hard.

He ran over to Daisy and grabbed her about the shoulders, spinning her so she was looking at him.

“Daisy, look at me. You need to calm down,” he said firmly.

“Why does everyone keep saying that like it’s the easiest thing to do?!” she shouted.

“Because you might hurt John if you don’t,” he said softly. Daisy suddenly stopped, realizing what was happening. She looked around the room as the frames slowly stopped shaking.

“Oh… Merlin… I’m so sorry. I didn’t even realize…”

Oliver pulled her into a hug as her eyes teared up.

“It’s okay. You stopped it,” he said, rubbing her back. He looked over at John, who looked around the room in relief. “I think maybe I should take her out somewhere… to calm down a bit more.” John nodded wordlessly. Oliver started walking to the door, leading a now silently crying Daisy with him.

Once they were outside, Daisy started sobbing loudly.

“I’m so sorry, Dad. I didn’t mean to. Just sometimes it gets away from me,” she wailed. Oliver kept his arm around her as they walked, rubbing his hand up and down her bicep.

“It’s alright. We all know this isn’t easy for you,” he said.

“But it’s easy for Jamie,” she sobbed. “Why can’t it be easy for me too?” Oliver chuckled.

“Jamie’s been dealing with his Legilimens for years. You can’t expect that you’ll learn how to handle something like this overnight,” Oliver said.

“I can’t even turn the damn connection off,” Daisy muttered, still sniffling. Oliver looked down at her, noticing she had somewhat gotten her tears under control.

“Fancy a dram or two with your old dad?” he asked. Daisy looked up at him, wiping her face.

“Sure. If you think I won’t burn the pub down,” she said, a hint of a smile. Oliver laughed softly.

“I think we can risk it,” he said, starting to walk a little faster, leading her down the street to a pub nearby.

Once they were settled, their glasses of firewhisky in front of them, Daisy took a long deep breath.

“What set it off this time?” Oliver asked her.

“We weren’t really arguing. John just wanted to help. Thought I should tell Nilsson what’s going on, but I told him I couldn’t. And then I just… everything caught up to me a bit and I started ranting and getting more frustrated,” she said before taking a long drink. She put her glass down and looked up at her father, her eyes brimming with tears again.

“What if I really do hurt him one day?” she asked softly. Oliver reached across the table and took her hand.

“You won’t,” he said, though he could tell she didn’t believe him. To be honest, he was worried that she would end up hurting him - or someone else - if she didn’t get things under wraps.

“Even I don’t believe you,” she said ruefully, looking down at her glass. “Seems only you and Wills are the ones who can talk me down.” Oliver looked confused.

“Wills? When did he do that?” he asked, slightly incredulously.

“At the party after the Puddlemere-Arrows match. Remus said something truly horrid and I nearly made all the glass explode before Wills calmed me down,” she said. “Haven’t spoken to Remus since.” Oliver nodded.

“Daisy… maybe you should consider moving home for a bit,” Oliver said. Daisy looked up at him, eyes wide.

“Why?” she asked. Oliver took a deep breath.

“Well, Nilsson came by to talk about you today. I ended up telling him most of what’s going on and it got me thinking… I don’t want you getting hurt or hurting someone else by accident. Maybe you should consider taking a break. Stay with your mum and I. That way if it flares up, we can calm you down. And it might help to you to focus on just this thing instead of everything at once,” he said. Daisy’s mouth dropped open.

“You want me to quit quidditch?” she asked softly.

“Not quit for good… just until you can get a handle on things,” Oliver said. Tears started pouring down her cheeks again.

“But… what if I never get a hold on things?” she asked. “You would have me quit for good? Shut myself off from everyone?”

“You will get a handle on this, Daisy. But it would be better if you were with us all the time so we can help you,” he said. Daisy thought for a moment, blinking furiously through the tears. She had to admit it was sound advice - especially with how everything had been going lately.

But something inside her fought against it. She couldn’t quit quidditch. It was all she knew. She couldn’t hide away. And as much as everyone wanted to help, only she could figure out how to get control of her magic.

“I can’t, dad,” she said softly, looking back up at him. “I can’t run away and hide until I get this. I’m terrified of hurting someone, yes. But… I need to figure this out on my own.”

“But what if it flares up during a match?” Oliver asked. Daisy took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

“I won’t let that happen,” she said simply.

“But you saw what just happened. What if I hadn’t gotten there when I did?” he asked. Daisy shrugged.

“John and I would have spent the night fixing picture frames,” she said.

“Daisy… this is serious. I don’t want to lose you,” Oliver said, squeezing her hand. “I don’t want you to-” He stopped, unable to articulate his fear that Daisy too would fall into a coma like her mother.

“I won’t let that happen, Dad. I can figure this out. I can balance my gifts with playing quidditch. I will figure this out,” she said, for once starting to believe herself. Oliver studied her for a moment.

“You always were stubborn like your mother,” he finally said, a small smile on his worn face.

“And you,” she added, smiling. “Don’t worry so much, Da. It’ll make your hair gray.” Oliver chuckled.

“Surprised it’s not white at this point,” he muttered. Daisy laughed.

“I’ll get this. Especially when I have the whole family cheering me on,” she said with a slight roll of her eyes. “Just need to… find a way to express the anger in a… safer environment.” Oliver thought for a moment.

“I may have an idea,” he said. Daisy looked at him.

“What?”

~~~

Daisy stood in the middle of the pitch at her parents’ house, watching dubiously as her father conjured up what seemed like millions of glass items around her.

“This is your idea?” she asked, her arms crossed in front of her. Oliver shrugged.

“Couldn’t hurt,” he said. Standing a safe distance away, Iris watched on, curious about her husband’s idea. Once he had finished, he ran over to stand next to Iris. “Now… just… let it out. Don’t stop yourself. If anything comes our way, your mother will protect us.”

Daisy shot her mother a look and got a shrug in return, so just shook her head and started to loosen up a bit.

“Alright then… here goes nothing,” she said. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, allowing all the frustration from the day flow through her. She could feel her power start to bubble up, as though it were slowly coming to a boil.

She thought about the missed snitches, the bludger hits, Nilsson’s disappointment. Her own disappointment. The press. She thought of Remus - and how she missed how things used to be between them. A hot tear streaked down her cheek as she felt the simmering magic in her start to grow and build.

All around her, the tickling of glass could be heard.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Iris asked, watching Daisy closely.

“Seemed like a good one at the time… I’m not so sure now,” he said, taking a step back as the tinkling grew louder and the ground began to shake a little.

Daisy continued thinking about Remus yelling at her. Jamie looking at her with concern. Alan trying to cheer her up. Wills distracting her. John smiling down at her. Each and everyone of her family. Coach staring at her in concern. The thought of losing any of them. Daisy gasped as her eyes flew open. The magic was pouring out of her in waves as her eyes started glowing. The tears came faster as the fear, worry, anger, frustration - everything - continued to build and build until finally she screamed. It was like something snapped inside her and a shockwave pulsed out breaking all the glass around her. A shield flew up around Iris and Oliver just before it hit them.

After a few moments, it was over.

Silence filled the dark pitch as Daisy breathed heavily and looked around at the shattered glass as it sparkled in the grass around her. She looked over at her parents, still standing behind the shield.

“Well… that actually felt good,” Daisy said, smiling slightly. “I think I’m spent. You can put the shield down now.”

“Um… Daisy… I’m not the one doing it,” Iris said. Daisy stared at them in confusion. Iris grinned and laughed at the stunned look on her daughter’s face. “You can let us out now!”

Daisy shook her head and concentrated, allowing the shield to fall. She walked over to her parents.

“I did that? I shielded you in the middle of all that?” she asked. Iris nodded.

“Sometimes, you just need to let go and let your instincts kick in,” she said. She looked at Oliver. “Maybe we’ve been approaching this all wrong. Instead of focusing on trying to get her to control it, we should be pushing her to let go.” She looked back at Daisy.

“I do feel much better. Calmer,” Daisy said. “It’s the calmest I’ve felt since this whole thing started.” Iris looked around.

“Alright then, I think we know where to start next time you come over.”


	14. Off to Paris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dominique and Chris continued to hit dead ends on their search for the professor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Family/Drama  
> Rating: M (Language, Mention of abuse)

Dominique bounced on her toes while she and Chris waited in line to use the international floos at the Ministry. She was excited to see her little brother. It had been a few months since the last time he had popped home for a weekend.

“Didn’t realize Paris got you so excited,” Chris said, glancing down at her as he gripped the strap of his duffel bag.

“I’m excited to see my brother,” she said glancing back at him as she took a step forward towards the desk, all their paperwork in hand.

“You guys as annoyingly close as the Woods?” Chris asked.

“I thought you were best friends with the Woods,” she said.

“I’m best friends with Jamie. And good friends with Remus and Alan, but sometimes they drive me up the wall with their whole… triplet thing,” he said with a sigh.

“What, no mention of Daisy?” Dominique asked with a smirk.

“That is ancient history,” he said, his cheeks blushing slightly.

“So you no longer harbor any feelings towards everyone’s favorite Pixie?” Dominique asked, stepping closer. Chris chuckled.

“That, I do not,” he said. “That ended the summer after Hogwarts.” Dominique looked back at him.

“I thought it ended at Hogwarts?” she asked.

“We, ah, picked things up over the summer while Jamie, Remus and Alan were off with the League. Felt it easier without those three interfering,” he said, keeping his eyes trained ahead. “Thought Daisy would have told you. Don’t you and your cousins share everything?” Dominique snorted.

“Obviously not everything,” she said, turning to look back forward. The person in front of them finished and Dominique stepped up and handed over all the paperwork for their international travel permits. The wizard at the desk looked them over, stamped them and handed them back.

“You will be leaving from Floo No. 5. Safe travels,” he said boredly. “Next.” Dominique smiled and nodded, then strode over to the long line of floos.

“I wish they would just let us apparate,” she said as they got in line.

“International apparition is difficult and not to mention dangerous,” Chris said.

“Yes, mother,” Dominique said as the people in front of them disappeared. She stepped up and grabbed a handful of floo powder, then stepped into the large fireplace, waiting on Chris to step in next to her. She then threw the powder and shouted the location of the Paris international floo terminal.

They both stepped out and walked over to the apparition points. Dominique looked over at Chris and held her hand out.

“Ready?” she asked.

“Lead the way,” he said. He grabbed her hand and Dominique sputtered slightly as she felt a tingle run up her arm. She shook her head and then concentrated on where she wanted to go. In the next second they had appeared on the landing outside her brother’s apartment.

“Where are we?” Chris asked as Dominique stepped up and knocked on the door.

“We’re in the wizarding district in Paris – Versailles,” she said. Chris frowned slightly.

“Isn’t that the name of some palace?” he asked. Dominique chuckled.

“The locals like to say that the French royalty stole the name from them,” she said, rolling her eyes. At that moment, the door flew open and revealed Louis.

“Dominique! You made it!” he said, pulling his older sister in for a hug.

“Thanks again for letting us stay here,” she said after letting him go and stepping into the apartment. Louis turned and grinned at Chris, holding his hand out.

“Good to see you again, Abbott,” he said. Chris shook his hand and nodded. To be honest, of all the Weasleys, Potters and Woods, Chris found that he often forgot about Louis even though they had been in the same house. He was much quieter than the rest and typically more interested in his own friends and interests than whatever trouble the rest of his cousins got into.

Chris stepped in and looked around as Louis shut the door behind him. The flat was immense, to say the least. The main room was varying shades of white and beige. While the light fixtures and crown molding screamed antique, it was decorated with sophisticated, modern furniture in blue and green. There were large windows everywhere.

Chris walked up to one and looked down at the street, noting the various cafes and shops where witches and wizards were milling around. He walked over to a window on the other side of the flat and raised his eyebrows at the impressive view of the Eiffel Tower.

“Fashion pays well,” Dominique said as she stepped up to his side, causing him to jump slightly. He looked down at her. “Come on, I’ll show you to your room.”

After the two had put their bags away, they settled in the living room with Louis. He certainly seemed to have come into his own since Hogwarts, exuding a sort of quiet confidence that Chris hadn’t remembered. But then again, he reminded himself that he hadn’t known much about the Weasley even then.

“So how long are you two here for?” he asked. Dominique shrugged.

“Not sure. As long as it takes to find this professor,” she said.

“Hopefully not too long,” Chris said.

“What? Don’t like Paris?” Louis asked, smirking at the older man. Chris sighed, wondering how he would handle two Weasleys at once and cursing Merlin for sarcasm being an obviously inherited trait in their family.

“No, just don’t like to be away from home for too long,” he said.

“What’s the plan?” Louis asked, looking between the two.

“We’re going to the Ministry tomorrow to meet with Jules,” Dominique said. “After that, I suppose we’ll see where the information takes us.”

“Very well. How about tonight I take you both out to show you around the district?” Louis said with a grin.

“I don’t know about that… we are here to work, not play,” Chris said, frowning slightly.

“It’s just dinner and some drinks,” Dominique said, rolling her eyes. “Beside, both Louis and I have our aunt’s hangover tonic in case you drink too much.” Chris looked between the two siblings.

“Fine,” he said relenting.

~~~

“Monsieur Weasley! You are back!” the maître’ d said as Louis led Dominique and Chris into his favorite restaurant. Louis flushed slightly as Dominique gave him a look.

“This is my sister, Dominique. And her work colleague Chris Abbott. They’re here from London,” he said. The plump man grinned.

“C’est manifique!” he exclaimed. “Follow me, I will take you to your usual table.”

“You have a usual table?” Dominique whispered to her brother. “Please tell me this is where you woo everyone.”

“I’ll tell you later,” Louis said, hushing her. The three sat and began to peruse the menu, with Chris looking confused. Louis looked up at him and kicked Dominique under the table, motioning towards Chris with his head. She looked over at him, taking in the confusion.

“Thought you understand French,” Dominique asked, smirking. Chris looked up at her, his eyes wide.

“I do… just… not sure what to order,” he said. Dominique laughed and looked over at Louis.

“What do you recommend, little brother?” she asked. He studied Chris for a moment.

“I think he’d like the Steak Diane. It’s really good here,” Louis finally said. Chris nodded and put the menu down, obviously making up his mind. The server returned and took their orders. A bottle of wine popped up with three glasses and Louis quickly filled them.

“To a hopefully successful venture,” he said grinning as he held his glass out. Dominique grinned as she followed and glanced over at Chris as he lifted his.

After they had taken a sip, Chris looked over at Louis.

“So how long have you lived over here?” he asked.

“About two years,” he said. “I moved over shortly after Hogwarts and took up a position with a fashion magazine then started on at a design house shortly after.”

“He’s the top designer’s personal assistant now,” Dominique said. “Practically can’t do anything without him.” Louis blushed slightly.

“It’s nothing like that,” he said. “Just… learning the trade and all. I hope to start my own design house some day.”

“Which will no doubt be successful,” Dominique said, earning a look from her younger brother. “What? I can’t help but be proud of you!”

“So, how is the search going for this professor?” Louis asked, changing the topic. Dominique sighed.

“Some days I wonder if we’re on a giant goose chase,” she said. “And always three steps behind.”

“But we’ll find him,” Chris added. “Dominique’s been great at tracking.” Dominique flushed slightly as Louis smiled at her.

“Dom is nothing but determined,” he said. “Always has been. Suspect it’s middle child syndrome at play.” Dominique rolled her eyes.

“It is not that, and you know it,” she said, frowning at her brother.

“Our older sister is close to being the youngest head of the emergency department at St. Mungo’s. And I, well, forgive me for sounding a bit smug, but I have progressed fairly quickly as well in my career. Dominique here is trying to outdo both Victoire and I.” Chris studied the slightly fuming woman.

“I’m just trying to do my best,” Dominique said, her eyes not leaving her brother.

“I know. And you’re doing well. I’m sure Teddy has been thrilled with your work,” Louis said. Dominique sat up a bit straighter.

“He has mentioned that he’s happy with the progress we’ve made,” she said, smiling slightly.

“I have to admit, you are a better investigator than I gave you credit for in the beginning,” Chris said, causing both siblings to look over at him. Dominique smiled as Louis looked back and forth between the two of them and smirked.

~~~

Later in the evening, after they had started on the second bottle of wine, Chris excused himself for a few minutes to use the restroom, leaving brother and sister alone.

“So… is there anything going on with Mr. Abbott that I should know about?” Louis asked.

“No, we just work together,” Dominique said quickly.

“That was a fast answer.”

"I didn't have to think about it," Dominique shot back. Louis laughed.

"Let me guess, focusing on work, are we?" he asked.

"I don't see you running around with the love of your life," Dominique replied.

"I am focusing on my career," he responded.

"Better hurry up. You don't want to be the last holdout," Dominique said. 

"Please. Gran's got a whole line of weddings to plan before she gets to mine," Louis said, rolling his eyes.

“Sooner would be better than later,” Dominique said, her face going grim for a moment. Louis studied her and took a deep breath.

“Suppose you’re right about that. Especially since we don’t know how much time we may have,” he said, looking down at his glass of wine. “Is Daisy doing any better?”

Dominique shrugged.

“She’s still struggling, but she tries to put a good face on it. She only really admits how hard it is to us girls,” she said. “But she’s gotten better since she moved in with John and away from Remus. But I can tell everyone’s nervous about her upcoming match with the Falcons.”

“If anyone is going to set her off during a match, I reckon Hardwick would,” Louis said. “And I don’t understand why Remus is being such a dick. They were always close before.” Dominique sighed.

“He’s just jealous, is all. But really he should get over it. Daisy needs him more than anyone of them will admit. She needs the whole family,” Dominique said.

“I leave for a few minutes and you two look like the world is ending,” Chris said with a smile as he sat back down. Both Weasleys looked up at him.

“It might be, mate,” Louis said.

“Ah, right,” Chris said. He looked down at his wine glass and then up at the two before smiling and reaching for his glass. “But… it’s not ending yet.” Dominique smiled slightly as Louis chuckled.

“That is true,” he said. “Cheers.”

~~~

“So… we’re meeting your cousin?” Chris asked as he and Dominique made their way through the streets of the wizarding district in Paris to the French Ministry of Magic. Unlike in Britain, the ministry was located in the heart of the district, meaning there was no need to conceal it from muggles.

“Yes. Though, he’s a distant cousin on my mother’s side. We’re not too close with them,” she said. “With some help from Teddy, he’s giving us access to their residents’ records, so if the professor is or was in France, they’ll have something.”

“That is, if he registered with the ministry,” Chris said. Dominique huffed.

“True. If he’s been living muggle there is always the chance that he won’t be there. Even though you’re supposed to register,” she said.

“Why do you think he’s been living mostly muggle?” Chris asked. Dominique shrugged.

“Who knows? Maybe he’s muggleborn and just finds it easier,” she said, glancing at him.

“I think he’s been hiding,” Chris said, his auror instincts kicking in.

“Why’s that?” she asked.

“He seems to be going through a lot of trouble to make it hard to find him,” Chris said.

“But we’ve been able to track him,” she said, frowning slightly.

“Yea, but not to find him,” Chris replied. “And what we have found as been dismally small. I don’t think we would have made it this far if we hadn’t gone to that muggle professor.” Dominique nodded.

“True… perhaps he leaves just enough crumbs to keep people going, but not enough to actually find him,” she said, starting to get worried. Chris stopped and pulled Dominique around to face him.

“We’ll find him, Dom. Don’t worry,” he said. Dominique nodded and smiled slightly.

“Come on then. We’re almost there,” she said.

~~~

“Blimey… seems a bit… much,” Chris said, looking around the lobby of the French Ministry of Magic. It was large and ornate, harking back to the palaces and manors of the French aristocracy during the 18 th century. It was bright with lots of windows and natural light. Tons of gold.

“A bit different than what we’re used to, is it not?” Dominique asked, looking over at him.

“That it is,” he murmured as he followed her up to the main information desk. They both presented their British Ministry of Magic credentials and the witch behind the desk gave them visitors’ passes and directed them to the lifts.

“We’re to meet Jules on the fifth level and he said he would take us to their registry office,” Dominique said. “All the records are in French, you think you can manage?” Chris snorted.

“What makes you think I can’t?” he asked, glancing sideways at Dominique.

“Just checking. You seemed to struggle a bit with the menu last night,” she replied.

“I told you. Just didn’t know what to order,” he said with a huff. Dominique laughed as they stepped into the lift and waited for it to take them to their destination. Once it arrived, the doors opened and they stepped out into a busy lobby. A grinning man stepped up to them, dressed impeccably in light blue robes.

“Dominique! So good to see you!” the man exclaimed as he ran over to them and kissed her on her cheeks.

“You as well, Jules,” she said smiling. He looked over at Chris.

“And you must be Monsieur Abbott,” he said, putting his hand out. Chris shook it and nodded. “I suspect you both will want to get right to work, no?” Dominique nodded. “Very well. Come with me.”

He led them back to the lifts and pressed a button for a basement level floor.

“We keep excellent records of all the wizards and witches in France. If your professor was here, then we will have something,” he said proudly.

“That is if he registered,” Chris muttered. Dominique elbowed him in the side, causing him to grimace slightly. Thankfully Jules was too busy explaining the history of the records department to notice.

“Ah, here we are,” he said, stepping out and leading them in. The department was vast with an almost uncountable amount of desks and witches and wizards hard at work. An intricate configuration of tubes decorated the ceiling with each going to a desk.

“Through those doors back there is where all the records are kept. But we do not allow anyone but workers to go there. If there is anything you need to find, one of the workers will retrieve it for you. Ah, here we are. Marjorie will be assisting you,” he said as they stepped up to a desk behind which sat a pretty young witch. She stood as they neared them.

“Bonjour,” she said, smiling at them, though her eyes lingered on Jules. “Jules has explained everything. Who is it you would like me to find?” Jules nodded and grinned at the young woman before turning back to the pair.

“Here is where I leave you. I will see you later,” he said before bowing slightly and stepping away. Dominique glanced up at Chris and then turned to the woman.

“We need to find anything you have on a professor, Nikos Aliefantis,” she said.

“Very well, let us see what we can find,” Marjorie said as she sat down at her desk.

~~~

A couple hours later, Dominique sat back in her chair with a sigh as she stared at poor Marjorie’s desk, which was covered in parchments and files. Of course there would be nothing at the Ministry. They had pulled everything they could think of to try and find any mention of the professor – from Beauxbaton’s records to neighborhoods. Apparently while in Paris, the good professor had decided not to be a part of the wizarding community.

“I am so sorry, Ms. Weasley,” Marjorie said, seeming disappointed that their efforts had failed. “We keep such good records. I am not sure why there is nothing.”

“We knew this was a possibility,” Chris said. “He’d been living among muggles in London. There was a chance he did the same here.” Marjorie nodded.

“Suppose we should go meet Jules,” Dominique said grimly, glancing at Chris. He seemed lost in his thoughts for a moment. “D’you hear me, Abbott?” He started a bit and looked over at her.

“Yea, sure,” he said as they both stood. They said their good-byes and walked over to the lifts to go to the lobby where they would meet Jules for lunch.

“I was thinking,” Chris said once they were inside. “Maybe we should try the muggle police. If he didn’t live among the wizarding community, perhaps we would find something there. He would have had to have signed some sort of contract for his home, whether he leased or bought. Or may a bank account or something.” Dominique nodded, silently agreeing.

“After lunch… let’s go see,” she said.

~~~

“Alright, so what’s the game plan?” Dominique asked quietly as they stepped into the busy police station. It seemed awfully noisy and crowded.

“Find someone. Get them to search for the professor,” he said simply. Dominique looked up at him.

“No back story?” she asked. Chris glanced down at her.

“Well… time is of the essence, so I think we’ll have to be creative,” he said, stepping up in line. “And use other means.” Dominique’s eyes widened. But then she looked at the young man behind the desk and nodded.

“Shall you do it or me?” she asked. Chris smiled down at her.

“I think I’ve got this bit,” he said as they stepped up to desk.

“What can I help you with?” the man said in French. Dominique glanced at Chris as he pointed his wand at the man from his coat pocket and muttered something under his breath. A dazed look came over the man’s face.

“We need everything you have on a Nikos Aliefantis,” Dominique said quietly. The man looked at them and then down at a computer where he started typing furiously. It didn’t take long for the man to stop and look up at them.

“I have a rental lease for an apartment and tax records,” he said, he continued on for a bit more, listing several types of public records that both Dominique and Chris were unfamiliar with. They looked at each a moment before Chris turned back to the man.

“The rental lease will do,” Chris replied. The man nodded and pressed another button. A contraption next to the computer came to life. Dominique looked up at him, a bit of hope coming into her face.

“You think we’ll find him?” she asked. Chris shrugged.

“I suppose we’ll find out,” he said. The man held out a sheet of paper to them. Chris took it and nodded at Dominique. She pointed her wand at the man, still concealing it in her coat pocket.

“Obliviate,” she whispered, concentrating on him. The two then quickly left the police station, Chris looking down at the paper.

“Let’s be off then,” Chris said with a smile.

~~~

A short time later, the two were standing outside a flat staring at the door. Dominique had a sense of déjà vu as she lifted her hand up to knock.

“There’s no one there,” a voice said from their right. Both Dominique and Chris turned to look at an older man who had just stepped out from a flat next door. “There was a professor who lived there. But he moved out some time ago. They have yet to let it out again. Renovating.”

“Do you know where the professor went?” Dominique asked, finally finding her voice. “We’re looking to speak with him.”

“He did not say. Just that… he was retiring off in the country somewhere. He was a very private fellow. Friendly, but never shared much about himself,” the man said walking towards them. Dominique frowned, her disappointment evident. “But… I suspect his colleagues at the university might know something.”

Dominique looked up at him, a smile starting to form.

“Where did he teach?” she asked.

“Universite Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne,” he said. Dominique smiled and nodded.

“Thank you so much,” she said. The man nodded and set off down the hall. Dominique sighed and looked up at Chris. “Shall we be off to the university, then?”

Chris glanced out the window at the setting sun.

“Might be too late to find anyone today. But first thing in the morning,” he said, looking back at her. Dominique nodded.

“Until tomorrow,” she said with a sigh.


	15. Bringing Back the Pixie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisy still searches for the key to controlling her new magic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Family/Drama  
> Rating: M (Language, Mention of abuse)

Daisy woke up early the next morning and crept out of bed, trying not to wake up John so she could have some time alone with her thoughts. She walked into the kitchen and put the coffee on, her thoughts brewing as well.

They were playing the Falcons tomorrow. And everyone was worried. Her team was concerned that she wouldn’t be able to perform. Her family was terrified that she’d blow up half the stadium after one jab from Hardwick.

Even Daisy herself was worried she’d lose control mid-match, knowing that mind games, insults and lewd comments were Hardwick’s favorite tactic. She was half-tempted to feign sickness and let the reserve play for her. But at the same time she knew she couldn’t let down her team like that. They were expecting her play and praying that she’d be back in good form. She needed to find a way to get back on track.

Looking at a pile of fan letters sitting on the coffee table reminded her that she couldn’t let her fans down either.

She took her mug and walked over to sofa. She sat down and looked at the various unopened letters, her brow furrowed. Her thoughts wandered to the many problems plaguing her life. It truly was baby steps. While going out and blowing things up at her parents’ house made for good short-term relief, she still had to work on overall control.

Not to mention, she still hadn’t felt John since that night at the party. She was beginning to wonder if it would ever come in fully or if she would end up lying to him about it forever. She was thankful he still hadn’t brought it up.

“You’re up early,” John said as he stepped out of their bedroom, stretching and yawning. “Go for a run?” Daisy looked up at him. He smiled as he walked over, grabbed her cup and took a sip. Despite all the trouble they had been through, he still made butterflies flare up in her stomach whenever he looked at her like that.

“No, just couldn’t sleep,” she said. “You can always get your own, you know.” John chuckled, bent down and kissed her forehead.

“For some reason, yours always tastes better,” he said, handing her mug back.

“Oh, so that’s it,” she said, rolling her eyes slightly as she stood. John placed his hands on her waist and pulled her closer.

“You worried about the match tomorrow?” he asked, his gaze shifting from flirting to concerned. Daisy sighed.

“A bit, yea. We all know how Hardwick likes to play. Wouldn’t do if I ended up blasting him to Timbuktu during the game. Or blowing up the stadium,” she said, looking back towards the window.

“Hey, look at me Daisy,” he said softly. She looked up at him, her green eyes going stormy gray. “You got this. You know you’re good. You’ve beaten him before.”

“Not with the way I’ve been playing lately,” she said. “The Prophet ran another piece about me last week, that was pretty dire.”

“You can’t let it or anyone else get to you, Daisy. So you’ve had a rough couple of months. It’s okay. It happens to the best of us. But we both know the same old Pixie is in there and you just need to relax and let her come out,” he said. Daisy smiled up at him.

“You always know the right things to say,” she said, stepping up on her tippy-toes to kiss him. He looked down at the table, noticing the unopened letters. “Still haven’t read them yet?” Daisy looked down, her brow furrowed.

“I’m not sure I’m ready to face their disappointment,” she said with a sigh.

“Just… go through them when you get a chance. You might be surprised,” he said. She nodded and looked up at him.

“I will, but right now, I suggest we get ready or Coach’ll skin both of us for being late.” John chuckled and took the coffee mug from her hand.

“You can have the shower first,” he said, with a cheeky grin. Daisy chuckled and shook her head, walking towards the bedroom.

“Oh, by the way, I’m meeting Mum for dinner tonight,” she said. “So I won’t be home until later.”

“Tell her I said hi,” John called after her.

“I will!”

~~~

Daisy sighed as she made her way through the crowded Alley to the restaurant where she said she’d meet her mother after practice. She had taken to morphing into someone else whenever she was out and about lately, not wanting to draw attention from disappointed fans or curious reporters.

While the day had started out on a hopeful note, practice had quickly gone downhill with Daisy taking three bludgers and running into Cunningham while trying to squeeze in between him and Wright. Coach eventually had them go back to practicing old plays from their first season, since he was worried that Daisy wouldn’t be able to make the formations and end up seriously hurting herself or others.

He had given her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder as she left the pitch, but even he couldn’t mask the worry in his eyes.

Daisy stopped just before stepping into the restaurant and dropped her disguise, then walked in through the doors.

It was her mother’s new favorite and served Mediterranean cuisine. The inside was bright and had been charmed to appear as though diners were transported to the seaside. Along one wall, there appeared to be a balcony that overlooked the Mediterranean Sea, complete with a gentle breeze and the smell of salt water. Daisy looked around and finally saw her mother waving at her from one of the tables on the balcony. She walked over and dropped her bag to the floor, scooting in under the table with her foot so that it wouldn’t trip anyone.

“How was practice?” Iris asked, smiling as Daisy sat.

“Rubbish,” Daisy said glumly. “I still can’t seem to hop back on. Coach keeps telling me that I’m just stuck in my head, but blimey, I can’t seem to get out of it.”

“You’re putting too much pressure on yourself, Daisy,” Iris said, concern etched on her face.

“Well, it’s kind of hard not to. I’ve got Coach relying on me, and the team. And all the fans. Not to mention, I’ve got all the extra stuff and trying to keep myself in control but worrying that one snide comment from Hardwick and I’ll cause his broom to explode,” Daisy said quickly. She placed her elbows on the table and dropped her head onto her hands. “I just don’t know if I’ll ever get this.”

“You will, Daisy,” Iris said. “If I can get control of it, you can too.”

“But how? It’s not like I can sneak off to go blow things up whenever I start feeling stressed,” Daisy said, sitting up as a server came to take their order. Once the witch had stepped away, Iris studied her daughter a moment before speaking.

“We just have to find your key. For me… well, it was mostly your father,” she said. Daisy’s eyes widened.

“Da?”

“Well, love. Family,” Iris said. Daisy rolled her eyes.

“Well, that hasn’t been helping me, has it?” she said. Iris chuckled.

“Daisy… someone once told me that love made me stronger. Through love, I would find the strength to control my gifts. And they were right. It wasn’t just falling in love with your father, but finding my family. Creating bonds. Because of that, I was able to find the strength in myself to control my magic,” she said.

“So… finding Harry and Dad?” Daisy asked. Iris nodded, smiling. “Who told you that?”

Iris took a deep breath and focused her thoughts. Suddenly, Daisy was no longer sitting at the table in the restaurant, but standing in a large room. She vaguely recognized it as one of the upstairs suites in Harry’s house. Sitting in two armchairs were her mother – albeit a much younger version – and a man she didn’t recognize at first. It took her a moment before she realized that it was Teddy’s dad.

“I’m… I’m starting to feel things. With Oliver,” her mother said. Lupin looked as though he was wondering why Iris was telling him this. “Not like that… just… With Harry and Lily, I could always feel them. I always knew when Harry was in danger. I’m… I’m starting to feel that with Oliver. When he goes out, I can sense him. I thought, I thought I could only do that with family. I’m not sure what this is or means. I shouldn’t be able to do that.”

Daisy crept closer to the two, unable to take her eyes off the man her brother was named for. He seemed tired and a bit rundown, but there was kindness and wisdom in his eyes.

“Perhaps your magic is evolving. It’s protective in nature, so as you’ve grown closer to Oliver, it’s expanded to include him as well,” he said softly. Daisy was beginning to wonder why on earth they had given Remus his name. They were nothing alike.

“I’m not sure if that’s such a good thing. He’s always off doing various things for you… I don’t know if I can keep myself together trying to protect him and Harry. It’s bad enough that I always feel him. I… wonder if it wouldn’t be better for me to leave on my own,” Iris said. Daisy could hear the pain in her voice. She didn’t want to leave – not really. But she thought it was the only thing to keep Harry and her dad safe.

Worry and fear painted every corner of her mother’s face.

“I’m not sure that would be a good idea,” Lupin said. “You cannot run from love, Iris. It is what makes you stronger.”

“Are you sure you shouldn’t be following your own advice?” Iris asked bluntly.

“Don’t change the subject. This isn’t about me,” he said, his tone turning serious. Daisy imagined with that voice he must have been a good teacher. She’d of liked to have seen him wrangle the triplets.

“Ask yourself, what was it that helped you control yourself all this time?” he said. Iris frowned slightly as she chewed on her bottom lip. But then her expression softened. Daisy had no doubt she was thinking about her father and her cousin.

“You are stronger when you are with him. With Harry. With us. Running on your own will not make it easier to stay in control. It will weaken you. Love makes you stronger,” he urged.

Iris looked towards the door and then back at Lupin, nodding.

“I’ll think about it,” she said. Lupin sighed and sat back in his chair, looking as though he wished he could somehow drill the point into her head. At that moment, Daisy’s dad appeared in the door, grinning. Daisy was taken slightly aback by how much her brothers resembled him when he was younger.

“Well, that’s fixed,” he said as he walked into the room. Daisy watched her mother and it was almost like watching her transform into someone else. The tension seemed to melt from her body as the furrows in her forehead smoothed out and she seemed more at ease.

He really did have an effect on her.

Daisy blinked slightly and looked down, noticing her food had appeared. She looked over at her mother.

“So… love,” Daisy said. “I still don’t see how that helps me.”

“You just need to find your key,” Iris said. Daisy sighed.

“Easier said than done,” she said sadly as she started picking at her food. “Some days I think I’ll never get it.”

“Well, you’ve gotten better at keeping shields up,” Iris said. “That’s a good start.”

“Still can only manage a couple at once,” Daisy said with a sigh.

“And you haven’t destroyed anything in a couple weeks,” Iris added.

“Only because I go to your place and blow up the quidditch pitch a couple times a week,” Daisy said.

“But you haven’t felt you’ve needed it as much,” Iris said. “Just… think about it, Daisy. There must be something.” Daisy looked down at her food, furrowing her brow. “When we’re on the pitch, what is you think about?”

“Disappointing everyone. Hurting someone,” she said. “Basically a lot of negative stuff.”

“Maybe it’s your fear that’s holding you back,” Iris said, looking at her daughter contemplatively. “It certainly held me back.” Daisy looked up at her.

“But I can’t just… stop being afraid,” she said. “It’s not that easy.”

“I know,” Iris said. She reached over and grabbed Daisy’s hand. “Don’t worry… we’ll figure this out.”

“I certainly hope so.”

~~~

After dinner, Daisy found herself walking to her brothers’ flat. She wasn’t sure what led her there – she hadn’t even realized where she was going until she was standing outside the building looking up at the balcony. Truth be told, she did miss living with her brothers and being around them. Alan trying to cheer her up and having sound advice. Jamie was always a good listener as well.

Hell, she was even starting to slightly miss Remus – the old Remus, anyway.

“Fancy seeing you here, Pix. Kingfisher driving you barmy?” Alan asked with a grin as Daisy appeared in the flat. She laughed and fell onto the sofa next to him.

“No, just wanted to see my big brothers is all,” she said. “Where’s everyone?”

“Wills and Jamie went to get food. Think Remus is out with Laura,” he said, changing the channel. “You hungry?”

“Nah, met Mum for dinner,” she said. The fridge door swung open and two beers zoomed across the room. Daisy caught them and handed one to Alan.

“Really wish you would consider moving back. Jamie doesn’t do fun things like that,” Alan said. Daisy laughed.

“I don’t know why. Makes life a lot more convenient,” she said, popping the top off.

About that time, the door opened and slammed shut and Daisy could hear Wills and Jamie in the middle of a spirited debate over the next World Cup even though it was still two and half years away.

“I’m telling you, the Bulgarians will be brutal,” Wills said.

“You said that last time and we ended up beating them in an hour,” Jamie said, rolling his eyes. “Maybe you lot on the British team are just more fragile than us on the Scottish Team.” Wills was about to launch into what would have been a long-winded rant until he looked over and saw Daisy on the sofa. His eyes lit up as his usual grin filled his face.

“Pix! What a lovely surprise! Please tell me you and Kingfisher broke up and you’re moving back in. It’s not the same without you here,” he said. Daisy chuckled.

“No. I was nearby having dinner with Mum and thought I’d pop by,” she said as Wills handed his bags of food to Jamie and dropped on the sofa next to her. Jamie sighed and walked over, placing the bags of takeout on the coffee table.

“One can only hope,” Wills said. “Have a good chat with your mum, then?” Daisy sighed.

“Still can’t seem to figure out the key to controlling my magic,” she said.

“Thought you had that sorted. Didn’t Mum start you on some new approach?” Jamie asked as he starting to pull boxes of food out of the bags.”

“I can’t very well blow up a bunch of things on the quidditch pitch every time I feel stressed out as much as I’d like to,” she said wryly. “And I’m still holding back for some reason.”

“Blowing up things on the pitch? Sounds fun,” Wills commented. “Invite me next time.”

“Could help with shields,” Jamie said.

“I would love nothing more than to be shielded by you, Pix,” Wills said grinning. Daisy laughed and rolled her eyes.

“I’m not so sure you’d like it once you see what goes down,” Daisy said. “I almost didn’t get them up fast enough last time and Dad had to deflect a bunch of shattered glass.”

“I’m not worried. I know you wouldn’t let anything happen to me,” Wills replied, smiling. “You’re too much in love with me to let me get hurt.” Daisy chuckled and shook her head.

“You never know, I might let you get hurt just because you annoy me so much,” she said.

“You wouldn’t,” Wills scoffed. The four laughed and settled into talk about upcoming matches, moving away from the touchy subject of Daisy’s magic.

About 20 minutes later, the door opened and shut again and Remus walked in.

“Wasn’t expecting you,” he said upon seeing Daisy. Jamie and Alan glanced at her nervously.

“Thought I’d drop by and say hi,” Daisy said, making an attempt to be civil. She didn’t really want to destroy the apartment again, but she was also having a good time and wasn’t quite ready to leave just yet either. He nodded and walked to the fridge and grabbed a beer.

“Ready for the match tomorrow?” he asked, walking over. Jamie and Wills glanced at each and then back at Daisy, worried.

“I suppose,” Daisy said with a sigh.

“I wouldn’t be too upset if you got angry and decided to blow up Hardwick’s broom,” Remus said flopping down into the armchair. “I offer my services in getting you good and riled up beforehand, if it’ll help.” Jamie, Alan and Wills nervously watched Daisy, waiting to see how she would react. Daisy just shrugged.

“Could be fun… but I’d rather not do something that would land me in Azkaban,” she said, smiling slightly. Remus nodded slowly.

“Best not,” he said. “Can’t save the world from prison, can we?”

An uneasy peace seemed to settle over the group as they continued chatting and eating. Jamie kept a close eye on Daisy, ready to step in if needed to protect Remus should he say something stupid. Wills kept a comforting arm around Daisy, though it was partially also so he could hold her back if she got upset.

It seemed as though the Woods were finally going to have a calm night.

Daisy found herself relaxing and laughing harder than she had in awhile. She couldn’t help but smile at Remus, thinking maybe he had finally come around to his senses.

“So Mum thinks there’s a key?” Alan asked, returning to the topic of controlling Daisy’s magic. She nodded and looked at Jamie.

“What is it for you?” she asked. Jamie thought a moment.

“Obviously, it’s Lila,” Wills said, as though it were the most reasonable answer.

“Well, no. I mean, maybe it helps. But I think it’s just because I have you lot” Jamie said, looking at his siblings. “Mum is probably onto something there – love and support and all.”

“Family,” Daisy said, looking down at her beer bottle, studying it with a frown.

“What’s this, Pix? Not wishing you had a different family are you?” Remus asked. She glanced at him.

“Sometimes,” she said, smiling slightly. “No, just… frustrating, is all. Jamie and Mum make it seem so simple and easy. But for me, it’s not so simple.” She then pushed off from the sofa and walked over to the balcony, stepping out.

The three men looked at Remus.

“What? I swear it wasn’t me this time. You heard me – I’ve been trying to be nice!” he said. Jamie furrowed his brow and looked out at Daisy.

“Maybe it is you,” he said, glancing back at Remus. “Maybe this tiff or whatever between you is what’s been holding her back.” Remus rolled his eyes.

“No, I’m not going to let you blame this on me. Whatever’s going on, it’s all on her,” Remus said standing and walking towards the staircase to his room.

“Nice going, Jamie,” Alan said. Wills looked out to the balcony, concern filling him. He stood and walked out.

“Pix?” he said softly. She turned and looked at him, smiling slightly.

“I’m fine, Wills,” she said, turning back to the street.

“Are you sure about that?” he asked, stepping up to her side. Daisy sighed.

“Not really, I guess,” she said. “Just… wish I could figure it out.” Wills put his arm around her, pulling her close to her side. “Then maybe I’d stop messing up so much in practice and matches.”

“Look, I can’t really tell you what to do with these gifts. It’s beyond me. But… I do know a thing or two about quidditch,” he said. “You know what my favorite part of quidditch is?”

“Scoring? Both on and off the field?” Daisy said, smirking up at him. Wills chuckled.

“No. It’s that very first moment when you step on the field. I close my eyes and just… take it all in. The sounds. The smells. That becomes my center,” he said. Daisy looked up at him. “I reckon it used to be yours too.” He looked down at her.

“It was. But that seems like such a long time ago,” Daisy said, looking back out to the street.

“Stop thinking so much, Pix,” Wills said. “And I know you’ve heard that a million times now and it’s easier said than done. But… when you step out on that pitch tomorrow, close your eyes and just… take it in. Don’t think about Hardwick. Don’t think about winning. Just concentrate on one thing – you love playing quidditch. And you’re good at it. You’re best when you’re not trying.” Daisy thought for a moment and then nodded.

“I’ll try,” she said.

“Don’t try, Pix. Don’t even think about it. Just let your instincts take over,” he replied. She laughed softly and looked up at him.

“Thanks, Wills.”

“Anytime, Pix.”

~~~

Later that night, Daisy found the apartment quiet when she got home. She could hear John snoring slightly from the bedroom and walked over to the sofa, still not quite ready to go to bed. She sat down and rubbed her face, then looked down at the pile of envelopes.

Cautiously, she reached down and picked up the top one, flipping it over so she could open it. She then pulled out the parchment and unfolded it, finding a picture done by a young child.

“Keep Ur Chin Up, Pixie! Ur Still the Bestest!” was scrawled in childish handwriting with a small figure with red hair flying around on a broom with a snitch in hand. She chuckled softly and put the picture down then reached for the next one.

This one was a letter from a young girl named Elizabeth – a third year at Hogwarts. She said Daisy inspired to her finally get over her fear of rejection and try out for her house team – which she made. The girl thanked her for being nice enough to stop and sign her poster and offer her flying advice over the summer after a match. She ended it by telling her she would be a fan no matter what the “stupid Prophet” said.

After about an hour, Daisy had gone through the entire pile and was sitting on the sofa with tears streaming down her cheeks. Every single one of them had been kind and encouraging. Little girls, little boys as well, teens and even some moms and dads – all of them telling her how much they look up to her, and not to give up, assuring her that she would always be their No. 1 favorite seeker.

“Pix? What’s wrong?” John murmured as he stepped out of the bedroom, rubbing his eyes. “Heard you crying. Is everything okay?” He walked over and sat next to her, pulling her into his arms.

“Just… a bit overwhelmed. I finally looked through the letters,” she said, resting her head on his shoulder. “They all… they’re still there. They still look up to me. Why, I’ll never understand, but they still care.” John chuckled.

“Well, yea. You’re their hero,” he said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“But why? I’ve been rubbish,” she asked.

“I told you – you’re just in a rough spot,” he said, rubbing her arm. “You can’t win everything. You’ll get it back.”

Daisy pushed back from him and looked John in the eye.

“But what if I don’t? What if I never get control of my magic either?” she asked, her eyes wide and stormy gray. John took her face in his hands gently.

“Whether you become the top seeker in the League or never play another good match again or even if you end up blowing up the apartment tomorrow night, I’m still here for you. I’ll still love you. I’m not going anywhere,” he said seriously.

“But why?” Daisy asked again. John chuckled and kissed her.

“I mean, I can keep us up all night listing every single thing that I love about you, if you want,” he said. “I know it’s been rough and I haven’t been the greatest boyfriend, but… I will always be here for you. Nothing will change that.” Daisy nodded as he wiped some of her tears away with his thumb.

She looked down at the fan letters, her eyes starting to fill with tears again as she sighed.

“I’ve been pretty rotten too,” she said softly. John pulled her to him again.

“You’re going through a lot. It’s understandable,” he said. “But just know that you’re not alone. You have me. You’ve got your family. And there’s the team and Coach. You’ve even got Wills, though sometimes I’d rather you make him explode.” Daisy chuckled softly as she wiped her cheeks. “And… you’ve got them. Your fans will always be there too.” She sighed and nodded. She looked up at him then pressed her lips against his gently.

“Thanks,” she said softly. “I needed that.”

“What are boyfriends for?” he asked, causing her to laugh. Daisy then stood, pulling him up with her.

“Come on, we’ve got a match tomorrow. Time to get some rest,” she said as she started towards the bedroom. “I’m eager to kick some Falcon ass.” John chuckled.

“There’s the Pixie we all know and love.”


	16. Finding the Professor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dom and Chris finally catch a break in their search.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Family/Drama  
> Rating: M (Language, Mention of abuse)

Dominique and Chris were up early the next morning, shoveling down a bit of breakfast at Louis’ flat before setting off for the university. They weren’t sure how much walking around and footwork they would have to put in that day, so figured it was best to fill up before they even started.

The campus was large and beautiful, though they got turned around a few times. After wandering around for 30 or 45 minutes among the students and faculty, they managed to find the history building and from there, the ancient civilizations department.

While part of Dominique was feeling discouraged, she was determined not to feel defeated before they even found out if anything was there.

“Well… here’s hoping we find something rather than nothing,” Dominique said as they walked into the main department office, looking around.

“We know that he’s not here anymore, but hopefully we’ll at least find out something that will show us where to go next,” Chris said. Dominique nodded.

“Hopefully,” she murmured.

“May I help you?” a young woman asked, stepping from around a desk.

“Yes, we’re here to see the head of the department,” Dominique said smoothly.

“Do you have an appointment?” the woman asked.

“Ehm, no. We were hoping to speak with him about a professor who used to work here,” she said. The woman looked down at something on her desk and then back up at the two.

“Professor Wilson is currently in a meeting, but if you have a seat, I will let you know as soon as he is available,” she said, motioning towards two chairs. The two walked over and sat, with Dominique beginning to nervously tap her foot as she looked around the room, taking in the various paintings decorating the wall.

“Must you do that?” Chris asked softly, glaring at her foot.

“Sorry. Nervous tick,” Dominique quietly shot back.

“We don’t know how long this will take so I’d prefer not to have a headache from your tapping,” he said. Dominique sighed and crossed her legs.

“Very well,” she said with a slight roll of her eyes before opening her purse and pulling out a book.

After about 30 minutes, Chris shifted in his chair again, accidentally bumping into Dominique’s arm. She silently frowned at him.

“Sorry,” he said quietly. Dominique sighed and put her book away, conceding defeat. She was starting to get more nervous the longer they had to wait for the professor and had gotten stuck reading the same paragraph over and over again.

“Think we’ll find anything?” she asked softly, looking over at Chris.

“Certainly hope so,” he replied, watching the door to the office for the professor to walk in. “Otherwise we did all this waiting for nothing.”

“Just hope it doesn’t lead us to yet another country,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Not that I don’t love traveling, just would be nice to finally find him.”

“No kidding,” Chris said. At that moment a tall thin man in slacks and a plaid button-up walked into the room, his light brown hair speckled with gray. He glanced over at the couple curiously and then stepped through a door into another room. The woman stood and walked over, popping her head in a moment before turning and facing Dominique and Chris.

“He will see you now,” the woman said. She then stepped aside and allowed the two to enter.

“Hello,” Dominique said brightly as she stepped over to the desk. “My name is… Alice. Alice Baker. And this is… my brother, Chris. We’re hoping you might be able to help us. We’re trying to track down an old friend of the family. He taught here not long ago – Nikos Aliefantis.”

The professor studied them for a bit, then motioned for them to sit in the chairs across from him.

“Nikos? Yes, he taught here for a few years. But he retired. Left teaching to settle somewhere in the country as I recall,” he said, his brow furrowed. “Great professor, though very private. I admit, he was a bit of a mystery.”

“So we’ve heard,” Chris muttered, earning him a stomp on the foot from Dominique.

“Yes, he’s also very knowledgeable about Greek history,” Dominique said.

“One of the foremost experts,” Wilson said.

“You wouldn’t by chance have an address or contact number for him, would you? We’ve been trying to get in touch with him since moving back over here from America and just can’t seem to pin him down,” Chris asked, leaning forward in his chair.

“Oh, I do have an email address,” the professor said, sitting up and reaching for a pad of paper and a pen. “We keep in touch regularly, though for the life of me I’ve forgotten where it was he settled.” He scribbled something down on the paper and then handed it over to Dominique. “I’m afraid that’s all I can give you, but he does usually answer very quickly in my experience.”

She looked up at him and smiled.

“Thank you, we appreciate it,” she said, standing. She then led Chris out of the office and down the hallway, looking down at the piece of paper.

“I suppose this is good news,” she said, looking up at him. “Do you have an email account?”

“What? Why would I have one of those?” he asked, looking down at the paper. “What does it do?” Dominique rolled her eyes and started looking around.

“We need to find a library or something… We need a computer,” she said. She walked over to a directory of the building, looking closely for a few moments. “Ah ha! Follow me!”

She led him through the building, finally stepping into a large room with tons of bookshelves and computers. They walked in and Dominique looked around before finding a terminal that was off by itself and open. She quietly cast a few charms around them to ward off any curious muggles and made herself comfortable in front of the screen.

“What are you doing?” Chris asked.

“Need to make an email account so we can contact Professor Aliefantis,” she said, clicking on the internet icon.

“I knew that,” Chris said, frowning at her. Dominique rolled her eyes and quickly set to work making an account. She had one that she made years ago for her muggle studies class at Hogwarts, but had forgotten the password, so decided to just start up a completely new one.

It didn’t take long and soon she was pulling up a new message box and staring at it, wondering what to write to the professor.

“What are you waiting on?” Chris asked. Dominique looked at him and then back at the  screen.

“Dunno, just… well, how exactly do you explain everything without him thinking we’re crazy?” she asked. Chris sighed.

“Look, just tell him that we’re with the British Ministry of Magic and doing research into myths surrounding Athena – ehm… we’re updating our archives or something. As he’s the foremost wizard and muggle expert on Athena and Greek culture, we’d like to meet and speak with him in person as soon as he can – it’s of the upmost importance. Leave your address and mention that owl is possible as well,” he said. Dominique glanced at him and then went to work, typing everything out quickly. Once she was done, she sat and looked over it, making small changes here and there, before pressing send and sitting back in her chair.

“So… what do we do next?” Chris asked, looking at the computer screen.

“We could sit here and wait for a response, but really, he could be anywhere in the world and it could take days. We might as well go back to Britain and wait there,” Dominique said with a sigh. “I think I still have an old laptop around the flat somewhere that we can use to check it.” She wanted to get excited about the email address, but she knew all too well that there was the chance it wouldn’t pan out. To be honest, she was starting to get more than a bit frustrated. It had been months since she had discovered the professor. Why hadn’t they managed to find him yet?

“Well, let’s go, Dom,” Chris said, pulling her from her reverie. She stood and followed him to a quiet corner of the library where they apparated back to Louis’ apartment.

He popped in while they were both packing, surprised to see them leaving so soon.

“Did you find something?” he asked as he walked into Dominique’s room.

“Maybe,” she said, folding a blouse. “All we got was an email address and Merlin knows there’s no guarantee that he’ll respond.” She threw the article of clothing into her open suitcase and sighed, looking over to her brother.

“Sometimes I feel like we’re just running in circles with this,” she admitted. Louis smiled and walked over.

“You’ll find him,” he said encouragingly.

“What makes you so sure?” Dominique asked.

“Because I know how driven you are. You won’t stop until you’ve tracked him down and gotten all the information you can from him,” Louis said.

“You always did seem good at cheering me up,” Dominique said with a smile.

“Someone’s gotta do it,” Louis said with a shrug. “Now, is there any way I can convince you two to have dinner with me before you leave? There is this really great new place that opened up down the street that I’ve been meaning to try, but haven’t gotten the chance yet.”

“We really should be going if we want to get through the floos in a decent amount of time,” Chris said from the door. “They get pretty busy around this time.” Dominique nodded and turned back to her suitcase to finish packing while Chris walked off to the living room, his already packed bag over his shoulder.

“So… you sure nothing’s going on with Chris? Not even a tiny, small little crush?” Louis asked once the man in question was out of earshot. Dominique paused momentarily in her packing to frown at her younger brother.

“Not again, Louis,” she said, rolling her eyes and returning to her packing.

“What? I’m just asking. You two are working together a lot and you don’t seem to be at each other’s throats like you used to,” he said, smiling.

“That’s because we’re adults who know how to be mature and work with each other rather than bicker all the time like we did in school,” she said. Louis nodded slowly.

“Well, he seems like a nice bloke if you ever were to… develop something more than a work relationship,” he said with a cheeky grin. Dominique sighed heavily.

“Stop meddling. It’s unbecoming,” she said.

“I am a Weasley after all – it’s what we do best,” he said with a shrug. Dominique stopped packing again and looked over at him, an eyebrow raised. “Fine, so maybe Victoire mentioned that I should try and convince you to get out more in her last owl.” 

Dominique laughed softly and shook her head, returning to her suitcase.

“Why I am not surprised,” she muttered.

“Look, we all know you took the break up with Paul hard-”

“Still. Still taking it hard,” she said, not looking up.

“Okay - still taking it hard - but really, you can’t let whatever is going on with the family stop you from enjoying life a bit, Dom. Vic says you’re pulling more overtime than necessary, even taking documents home from the archives. Molly claims the kitchen table hasn’t seen sunlight in weeks-”

“Look, Louis, I appreciate the concern, but I’m fine,” she said looking over at him. “Am I still upset about Paul, yes. But really, even you have to admit that this investigation is what’s important right now. I can date or whatever after this is done. Besides, I don’t want to put another poor bloke in harm’s way.”

Louis studied her a moment before speaking.

“You’re hoping to get back with Paul once this is all said and done, aren’t you?” he asked suddenly. Dominique glanced over at him.

“Maybe. If he doesn’t hate me, that is,” she said with a sigh. “Though the first party we ran into each other, he asked me to get back together.” She frowned slightly, remembered how difficult it had been to say no and walk away.

“So, you do love him,” he replied. Dominique looked over at him, turning her body to face him.

“Why do you seem so surprised?” she asked. Louis smiled slightly.

“Just didn’t think the oh-so-serious Dominique Weasley would finally fall for someone, is all,” he said. Dominique laughed shortly and shook her head.

“Still the annoying little brother, I see,” she said. Louie laughed and held his arms open, motioning to her. Dominique stepped over and hugged him.

“Just promise me you will try to go out and have some fun – whatever that is to you.” Dominique chuckled.

“I will,” she said. She then turned and shrank her suitcase, then tossed it into her purse and walked out into the living room where Chris was waiting. “Let’s go home.”

~~~

Dominique sighed as she stepped out of the floo at the Ministry of Magic and looked around at the various people rushing off home. While she always enjoyed going to Paris, she had to admit she would be more than happy to finally get home to the flat

“Don’t look glum. The email might work,” Chris said, glancing down at her.

“I’m not glum,” Dominique said, frowning at him. “Just hungry and tired is all.”

“Then let’s go eat,” Chris replied, smiling slightly. “Then at least you won’t be hungry and it’ll cheer you up.”

“To be honest, I am pretty tired. I should probably get home to Molly. She’ll want to be filled in,” Dominique said, still walking towards the domestic floos. “And my feet hurt.”

“Ah, right. She’ll want to know. I guess I’ll see you later then,” Chris said, sounding a bit disappointed. Dominique stopped and turned around, facing him. He paused, curious as to what she was doing.

“I suppose you can come with me and we can tell Molly together. And pick up something on the way there,” she said, mustering up a smile. Chris beamed.

“Sounds like a good plan. Lead the way,” he said.

~~~

The closer they got to home, the happier and more relaxed Dominique felt. Even though they hadn’t gotten much more in the way of answers, she felt a bit more hopeful. They had picked up a couple pizzas on the way, which Chris insisted on paying for. As they walked down the street towards Molly and Dominique’s flat, the two fell into an easy conversation guessing about the Arrows and Falcon match that had gone on that day, wondering who had ended up winning. Both knew there was sure to be a party going on at the Woods’ regardless. Either to celebrate the win or to attempt to cheer up the team in case of a loss.

“I suppose we would have heard by now if Daisy had set Hardwick’s broom on fire or something,” Chris said as Dominique pushed the door open. She laughed softly.

“Probably would have been all over the ministry,” Dominique said. “I’m sure Molly can fill us in. She doesn’t really like going to games, but she normally keeps the wireless going in the background whenever Daisy is playing.”

“Oh! You’re back!” Molly exclaimed as she walked out from the kitchen. “And you  brought food and company.”

“Figured we could both fill you in on our adventures,” Dominique said as she walked over and plopped down on the sofa while Chris walked over and set the pizzas on the table.

“Good to see you, Molly. You lot hold down the fort while we were gone?” Chris asked  as he walked over and sat in an armchair.

“Well, other than drowning in scrolls on Athens, I suppose we did,” she said, walking back into the kitchen and then return with three beers. She passed them around the room.

“How was the match?” Dominique asked, watching Molly grab a slice of pizza and then sit on the sofa next to her. Her face lit up.

“Oh, you missed it!” she exclaimed. “It was a brilliant game.” She took a bite of pizza, seeming to relish the greasy food. 

“Did Daisy end up blowing up the stadium or Hardwick?” Dominique asked, smiling.

“We’ll go over to the party later and she can tell you all about it, but first, tell me what did you find in Paris?” Molly asked after she had chewed and swallowed. “I’ll admit, you’re back much sooner than I was expecting.”

“Well… we managed to track down the last place he worked and got an email address. But, apparently he’s not in Paris anymore,” Dominique said with a sigh. “We don’t know where he is, but, we managed to email him before we left, so hopefully he’ll respond and we’ll hear something soon.”

“Ah, that reminds me. You got an owl,” Molly said, standing and walking over to a table. “Came in a few minutes ago. Didn’t check who it was from, though.” She grabbed an envelope and tossed it to Dominique.

Dominique flipped the envelope over and looked at the front. She suddenly sat up and froze.

“What is it?” Chris asked, sitting up as well. She looked over at him and grinned.

“He responded,” she said, breathlessly. Her heart was pounding as she looked down at the small scribbled writing on the parchment.

“The professor?” Chris asked. Dominique nodded, still staring at it in awe.

“Blimey, open it!” Molly shouted, running over and sitting next to Dominique on the  sofa, putting her pizza slice back down and wiping her hand on her trousers. Dominique took a deep breath and then ripped it open, pulling the parchment out. She read silently, her eyes widening.

“What does it say?” Chris nearly shouted, now sitting on the edge of the chair. Dominique shrieked with laughter and jumped up. She started dancing around the living room, shocking both Molly and Chris.

“He’s here! In the U.K.! And he’s agreed to meet us!” she shouted. Molly jumped up and started dancing around with her cousin as Chris watched with an amused look.

“We have to tell Daisy and everyone!” Molly said. “Right now!” Dominique stopped dancing and looked at her cousin.

“Brilliant idea. And I know where they’ll all be.”


	17. The Flaming Pixie's Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisy finds her groove again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Family/Drama  
> Rating: M (Language, Mention of abuse)

Daisy stood in the tunnel at Appleby, listening to the roar of the crowd outside. One by one, her teammates took the field in front of her as their names were called. She stepped up and waited to hear her name, closing her eyes. She started breathing slowly in and out.

Gradually, everything in her head quieted. All the worry, the fear. She concentrated on just the sounds around her. The cheering of the crowd The smell of the grass. The feel of her broom in her hand and the breeze against her face. She emptied her head until the only thing there was the anticipation of soaring through the air.

“And finally… Arrows seeker Daisy ‘Pixie’ Wood!” the announcer shouted. The crowd roared. Daisy’s eyes flew open as she smiled and took off at a run, smoothly hopping on her broom and soaring up into the air to take her position across from Hardwick. She relished the feel of the wind on her face, her heart soaring as she looked down at the pitch below.

She took a deep breath and gripped her broom, making eye contact with Hardwick. He sneered at her. Daisy smiled in return.

She knew in that moment, she was going to enjoy this.

~~~

“How do you think she’ll do today?” Alan asked.

“I think she’ll do better,” Wills declared. “We had a bit of a chat last night and she seemed to take it all in.”

“I don’t know… she can’t seem to get out of her head lately,” Remus said.

“Suppose we’ll just have to wait and see,” Jamie added. The whistle blew and the balls were released as the chasers battled it out for possession. Kelly nimbly snatched the ball and flew off towards the hoops, Wright and Cunningham sticking close to him as the Falcons’ chasers attempted to steal.

“Is that James playing?” Wills asked, leaning forward. “Didn’t know he was on first string.”

“Oh yea, didn’t they promote him recently?” Alan said, looking at Jamie.

“Guess they did. Wonder why the git didn’t say anything,” he replied. Lucy rolled her eyes.

“Probably wanted to leave it a surprise, knowing him,” she said.

James flew just under the Arrows chasers. One of the Falcons beaters hit a bludger towards the group, knocking onto Kelly’s side and causing him to drop the quaffle, which James caught and made a hard right turn. The Falcons had just set up their formation when out of nowhere, Daisy zipped through, causing them to scatter.

All four men sat up in their chairs, grinning.

“They’re doing the new plays again,” Alan said. “They’ve been going back to the old ones with Pix staying out of the play lately.” Remus looked at the screen, which now had Nilsson’s face filling it. At first he looked confused, but then he smiled and nodded.

“I don’t think that was the plan,” he said. Nilsson started shouting instructions, causing the Arrows to set up in a completely different formation. Daisy zipped passed Hardwick, whose face went from shocked to downright furious as he took off after her, struggling to keep up.

“I don’t know if it’s too early to call it, but I think that the Pixie just might be back,” Jamie said, grinning as he watched Daisy fly in and out of the Falcons’ formations anytime they got the ball, frustrating the chasers. At the same time, she seemed to be in an intricate cat and mouse with Hardwick. The Falcons beaters couldn’t even keep up with her, leaving Kingfisher and Campbell free to take out the other team.

“Of course she’s back,” Wills said, as though it were ridiculous that she could even be gone in the first place.

~~~

“You’re going to have to do better than that if you want to keep up, love!” Daisy shouted as she flew passed Hardwick, relishing his growl of frustration. The match had gone on for about four hours at that point and the Arrows were nearly up so much that even if Hardwick did catch the snitch, they’d still win.

But Daisy wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of catching the snitch.

She felt like she was on fire. From the second she dove through the Falcons chasers that first time – earning a shouted expletive from her cousin James – it was as though her instincts had taken over. She barely thought about what she was doing, just let all her training take over as she enjoyed the match.

Nilsson had called a time out about half way through and just stared at her in awe before telling the team to try out some of the newer plays they had been attempting to practice before Daisy had started going down hill. They all glanced at her nervously – except John, who just grinned at her – before she shouted they were all being babies and to just do them. This led to a collective grin as they flew off and set up.

Every play had gone according to plan, and every time Daisy ventured a glance towards Nilsson, she could have sworn she saw a glistening of tears in his eyes, he was so proud.

Even the commentators didn’t know what to make of it, commenting that it seemed a completely different person must have been playing seeker for the Arrows the past few months, because there was no doubt that Pixie was back.

She had just swept underneath the Falcons’ chasers again when she caught a glint of gold over the Arrows’ goal. She shot off, expecting Hardwick to be on her tail.

“Not this time, Wood!” she heard him shout as he caught up to her. Daisy grinned wickedly.

“You really shouldn’t be so predictable, Hardwick love,” she shouted back. Suddenly, she dove down, leaving Hardwick alone. He looked confused and then elated, thinking she had abandoned her quest for the snitch. He didn’t see the bludger John shot towards him until it knocked him off his broom. By that time, Daisy had already shot back up and easily gained on the snitch, grabbing it and turning back to head mid-field as the crowd roared.

“Folks, I think we can definitely say that Pixie is back!” one of the commentators shouted. Daisy laughed as her team cheered for her. She looked over and saw John flying towards her. As he passed by, she leapt from her broom, landing in front of him, facing towards him.

“I told you you could do it,” he said.

“I know,” Daisy said before kissing him rather passionately as they flew through the air causing more shouts and cheers from the crowd.

~~~

Alan, Remus and Jamie were busy excitedly going over the game and some of Daisy’s best moves in the player box and didn’t catch what was going on down on the field until they heard another roar go up.

“She must be feeling better if she’s pulling off those stunts again,” Lucy said with a laugh. All three turned to the field and saw Daisy and John fly by on his broom. The small ginger tossed her head back and laughed.

“Good to see those two are back on track,” Alan said. Jamie glanced over and looked at Wills, noticing his usual mischievous glint was gone as he looked on, a pained expression on his face. He ventured a look into his mind and saw his team captain was conflicted and seemed to be fighting with himself.

_ “There’s nothing between you, so no reason to feel upset… besides, it probably was John she felt. There’s no way she could feel anything like that for you,”  _ he thought. Jamie looked away, feeling embarrassed to have betrayed Wills’ privacy.

“I have a feeling we’re going to have quite the after party tonight,” Remus said, grinning. “What do you think, Wills?”

The blonde chaser looked over at the three, suddenly his normal grinning self.

“Oh, I suspect nearly everyone is going to want to talk to Pix tonight. But I call first dibs as her future husband,” he said. Everyone laughed, though Jamie could sense a just a hint of sadness in his eyes.

~~~

Daisy grinned as she pulled her bag over her shoulder. John reached his hand out to her.

“Ready to go?” he asked. Daisy looked towards the door and then back at her boyfriend.

“Let’s go the usual way today,” she said, grinning. John’s eyes widened.

“You ready to face the press today?” he asked. She nodded enthusiastically and skipped out of the locker room.

When she stepped out from the team exit, there was a larger crowd than usual.

“There she is!” someone shouted. Daisy grinned as cameras started flashing. She looked over a saw a group of young girls standing in Arrows jerseys with her number, holding posters and wearing hopeful smiles on their faces. Daisy went straight for them, watching their faces light up.

“That was a brilliant match!” one with dark hair shouted.

“You think so?” Daisy asked as she started signing their posters.

“Yea! I never gave up on you! I knew you’d make a comeback!” another missing her two front teeth shouted.

“Thank you,” Daisy replied. She leaned down to them, coming at eye level. “You want to know a secret?” They all nodded eagerly. “Today the reason I played so well… it was because of you guys.” They all grinned and a few started bouncing on their feet.

“I’m gonna be a seeker just like you!” the smallest one shouted. She held out a small broom that she had been carrying with her. “Will you sign my broom? I think it’ll go faster if you do.” Daisy chuckled as one of her parents put a hand on her shoulder.

“Liza, I don’t think it works that way,” her mother said. Daisy laughed and held her hand out.

“I don’t think it’ll make it go faster, but… I think if you practice a lot and work really hard, it just might,” she said as the little girl handed her the broom. Daisy signed it and looked down, noticing she had been writing Pixie Wood on everything. She laughed softly and rolled her eyes, knowing her brothers would give her hell once they found out.

She handed the broom back and posed for a few photos with the girls before slowly starting to make her way down the line, signing things and chatting with as many of her fans as she could. Part of her wanted to cry, she was so happy to see them all there. She felt bad she had been avoiding them.

“Daisy! Daisy! What’s your secret to coming back!” a reporter shouted. She straightened up and looked around at all the little girls there.

“My fans. They never stopped believing in me,” she said, grinning.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m happy to announce that Pixie is back!” someone shouted. Daisy looked over and saw Remus grinning from where he stood with her other brothers and Wills. She laughed as he looked at Alan and the two of them ran over to her.

“Remus! Alan! No!” she shouted, thinking they were going to tackle her. Instead, they grabbed her and hoisted her up on their shoulders.

“All hail the queen of quidditch!” Remus shouted, earning him a smack on the head from Daisy.

“You should have seen the look on Hardwick’s face when he saw you with the snitch,” Alan replied.

“Alan, shut it!” Daisy said, looking nervously at the press.

“Still got that rivalry going?” one reporter asked.

“No comment,” Daisy said, rolling her eyes. “Come on, you nutters. Let’s get home.”

~~~

The party was in full swing once they arrived back at the flat. Daisy expected that most of the league would show up once they heard about the match.

“Blimey, where did that come from?” James asked as he walked up and smothered his cousin in a hug.

“When did you make first string?” she asked, looking up at him. James grinned wickedly.

“Walker suddenly left for the Scandinavian League last week,” he said. “Decided the best way to tell you was to let you find out in the match.” Daisy rolled her eyes. “But seriously, what happened? Weathers had us going through all these plays based off how you’ve been playing the past few matches and you took us all by surprise today. Some of the blokes were thinking you bombed the past month or so on purpose.”

Daisy shrugged as John walked up, holding a glass out to her.

“Just… needed a bit of a pep talk,” she said smiling at John. She looked over and saw her brothers standing with Wills. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go talk to the triplets.” She walked over to the group, smiling as she locked eyes with Remus. Before she could reach them, he stepped up and pulled her aside.

“I think I owe you an apology,” he said, looking sheepish.

“Oh, really?” Daisy asked, smirking up at him.

“Look, Pix, this would be a lot easier if you didn’t look so smug,” he said, frowning slightly. Daisy’s face softened as she hugged him.

“I’m sorry too,” she said. “I wasn’t so nice meself.”

“It was mostly my fault, though… I guess I just… with you and Jamie getting so much attention lately, my ego got in the way. But… I know it’s not been easy for you with everything. And I should have been helping you, not yelling at you,” he said. Daisy took a deep breath and nodded.

“It’s not been easy. And I’ve missed you. I’ve missed having my big brother on my side,” she said softly. Remus rolled his eyes.

“Daisy, I’m always gonna be on your side,” he said. “Even if I’ve been acting a git.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” she replied.

“Let’s try and not fight so much,” he said, looking down at her. Daisy just looked up at him, her eyebrows raised. “Right, I know. I promise to take it easier on you.” Daisy laughed.

“Woods against the world?” she said. Remus nodded.

“Woods against the world,” he replied. He then led her to the group.

“Is all right with the Woods again?” Wills asked, grinning. Daisy nodded. She then walked over and hugged him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Wills eyes widened as he blushed slightly. “What was that for?”

“For the pep talk,” she said, grinning.

“You see that? Pixie just kissed me!” Wills shouted.

“Don’t go getting any ideas,” John said as he walked up , sliding a hand around a laughing Daisy’s waist. “We’re still together.”

“For now, anyway,” Wills said, winking causing Daisy to roll her eyes.

“You’re never giving up, are you?” she asked.

“Of course not,” Wills retorted, causing the group to start laughing. Daisy looked around. Lila and Jamie were no doubt in the middle of some sort of silent conversation, both of them wearing knowing smiles. Alan was grinning at her and Remus. She looked over and watched Laura walk up and give Remus a kiss on the cheek as she cuddled up to his side. She smiled and leaned into John, looking up at him.

“Everything’s as it should be,” she said, smiling. He laughed and kissed her forehead.

“I suppose it is,” he said softly.

At that moment, a red-faced Dominique ran up to the group, Chris and Molly not far behind.

“Dom! I thought you two were in Paris,” Daisy said, looking over at her cousin. Dominique just grinned and attacked her in a hug. “What the blazes is going on?”

Dominique stepped back and just grinned.

“Will you just tell her already,” Molly said impatiently. Chris grinned. Dominique looked over at Jamie and then back at Daisy.

“We found him,” she said breathlessly.

“In Paris?” Daisy asked, eyes wide.

“No. Well, I mean we found out where he was while we were in Paris. But he’s not there,” she said.

“Blimey, woman, where is he?” Remus asked. Dominique laughed.

“He’s in Scotland! He’s been there this whole time!” she said, pulling a piece of parchment out of her pocket and holding it out to Daisy. She took it and silently read over it. She then looked up at her cousin, eyes wide.

“He’s here. And he wants to meet with us,” she said, looking around the group as a smile broke out on her face.

“We found him.”


	18. Plotting the Next Move

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite happy to share the news with others, Dominique is starting to get annoyed with her family's meddling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Family/Drama  
> Rating: M (Language, Mention of abuse)

“Alright team, so we’ve found the professor,” Teddy said seriously as he paced around his office. Dominique fought hard to resist rolling her eyes. He could make things so dramatic sometimes. “Brilliant work, by the way Dom and Chris.”

She smiled to herself and glanced over at Chris who nodded.

“Have you set up the meeting?” Teddy asked, looking at Dominique. She nodded.

“I’ve confirmed with him twice now. Also, Aunt Iris has asked that she come along. I told her she could,” Dominique said. Teddy nodded.

“Figured she’d want to. She taking Daisy and Jamie as well?” he asked.

“Hadn’t thought to ask, but probably wouldn’t hurt,” Dominique said. “I’m sure they’ll have questions that we don’t think of.”

“Good. Okay, so you all will go meet with him and then I want a full report of what you find out,” he said. “As for Molly and Toby, I suppose just keep looking around the archives for now. Just in case he turns out not to be as helpful as we hope he will be. And keep at whatever tasks the Minister has given you for the forum.”

Toby and Molly nodded. He looked towards Chris.

“Chris, I’m going to need you to start doubling down on the other side of the equation. We’ve found the professor and he may have answers about Iris, Jamie and Daisy, but we still need to try and find whatever could be coming,” Teddy said. Chris nodded.

“If it’s alright, I might have Weasley help me. She seems to have some good investigative skills if you could get her transfer extended,” he said. Molly and Toby glanced at the two, smiling slightly while Dominique’s cheeks turned slightly pink.

“I was already thinking about that,” Teddy said. “We have no clue what to expect from this professor so I had already put in for the whole team to stay indefinitely.” Chris nodded.

“I have a good feeling about this,” Dominique said. “I think he might be able to help us.” Teddy looked at her and sighed.

“With all the trouble we’ve gone through to find him, I certainly hope you’re right,” he said. “Well, then. Suppose Chris and I will go inform Harry of the updates. Dom, can you go see Aunt Hermione?” She nodded and stood.

“Don’t look so happy,” Molly said to her softly as they walked out.

“What are you talking about?” Dominique asked.

“You look pretty pleased to be going to Aunt Hermione’s office is all,” Molly said nonchalantly.

“This has nothing to do with Magnus,” Dominique said, rolling her eyes.

“Sure it doesn’t,” Molly said with a cheeky grin. “Perhaps your little trip to Paris has you thinking a certain way about Abbott. You two seem to be on friendlier terms now…”

“Molly, please,” Dominique said with a huff.

Silently, Iris popped up in front of the two, nearly knocking them over and causing most of the aurors in the office to stop and stare.

“Sorry, girls! Didn’t realize you’d be right there,” Iris said, smiling.

“Quite alright, Aunt Iris,” Dominique said.

“Daisy and the boys told me the news,” she said. “I thought I’d pop in and check on it.” Dominique nodded.

“I’m about to go talk to Aunt Hermione if you’d like to join me,” she said. “I can fill you both in at the same time and answer whatever questions you have.”

“Sounds lovely. Haven’t had a chance to chat with Hermione in a bit,” Iris said with a smile.

“I really wish you’d only do that in my office, Aunt Iris. Does set off a bit of a spectacle,” Teddy said, walking out of the office behind them. He glared around the office as the aurors stopped staring and quickly set about to work again.

“Sorry, Teddy,” Iris said with a smile. “Come on, Dominique.”

The two set out for the Minister’s office, chatting about the recent match against the Falcons.

“I wish you could have seen it. Daisy was amazing,” Iris said, grinning. “I think she’s got her groove back.”

“She seemed to be in good spirits at the party,” Dominique said. “Good to see things are starting to settle down. She and Remus seemed better as well.”

“Finally,” Iris said with a slight roll of her eyes. “Thought we’d never get those two to quit fighting. Seems they both got a bit of my temper.”

“You think Daisy’ll move back in now?” Dominique asked.

“Doubt it. She still seems quite happy with John. And well, I suppose her father and I are starting to come around to it,” Iris said. “Taking Oliver a bit longer, of course. He still sees her as his little pixie. Not the woman of 20 that she actually is.” Dominique chuckled.

“Probably doesn’t help that she’s still a tiny bit of a thing,” she commented.

“I’m not sure if I’m happy she got my height. On the other hand, I’m not sure how I’d feel if I were surrounded by giants all the time either,” Iris said.

“Ah, here we are,” Dominique said as they reached the main door to Hermione’s office. She opened it and stepped aside.

“Ms. Weasley!” Magnus said brightly, standing as he broke out into a grin.

“I think by now, Dominique is fine. Good to see you, Magnus,” Dominique said with a smile and nod as her aunt followed her in.

“And… who is this?” he asked, confused. He didn’t see a visitor’s badge or an employee badge.

“This is another of my aunts – Iris Wood,” Dominique said. “Aunt Iris, this is Aunt Hermione’s new assistant, Magnus.” Iris smiled and walked over to him, holding her hand out.

“Lovely to meet you, Magnus,” she said. He shook her hand, looking slightly a bit in awe.

“I’ve heard so much about you Mrs. Wood. It’s an honor to finally meet you,” he said. Iris shrugged.

“Oh please, I’m certainly not worth it,” she said lightly, waving her hand in the air. “Just your average, run-of-the-mill shop owner.” Magnus watched her a moment before he suddenly seemed to regain his professionalism, slightly embarrassed. He cleared his throat and looked at Dominique.

“Here to see the Minister, I take it?” he said. Dominique nodded.

“That is the main reason I come here,” she said with a smile.

“Oh, er, right. Anyway, I suppose I’ll let you to it, then,” he said, motioning towards the door. Iris looked at the man and then back at Dominique, who was too busy pushing open the door to Hermione’s inner office.

“I come bringing guests,” she said brightly as they stepped in.

Hermione looked up from her desk and smiled as she saw Dominique and Iris walk in. Iris quietly shut the door behind them and they strode over and sat down.

“I take it you have good news to share?” Hermione asked.

“The best,” Dominique said excitedly. “We’ve found him. And he’s agreed to meet with us.”  Hermione’s eyes widened as she sat back in her chair and a small smile played across her lips.

“This is good news,” she said. “How did this come about?”

“We were able to speak with a professor that he taught with at a muggle university in Paris. He passed on an email address. We sent a message and he replied,” Dominique said.

“Well that seems simple enough,” Hermione commented.

“I know… wish we could have just started there, but it is what it is,” Dominique said.

“I’ve asked that I go with her,” Iris said. “I’d very much like to meet this professor. I think Jamie and Daisy would like to as well.” Hermione nodded.

“I see nothing wrong with that. You might think of some things to ask that Dominique and Chris don’t,” Hermione said. Dominique nodded.

“I thought the same thing,” she replied. She could barely contain her grin.

“Excellent work, Dom,” Hermione said. “You found him.”

“I know I’m quite anxious to meet him,” Iris said. “I feel like we’re on the verge of finally getting answers that I know I’ve long wanted.” Dominique nodded as she studied her aunt a moment. In the midst of everything with Daisy, she had almost forgotten that Iris had been living with these gifts for a lot longer without fully knowing what they were about.

“I certainly hope so, otherwise all this work will have been for naught,” Dominique said with a sigh.

“Keep hope, Dom. I’m sure we’ll find something useful from him,” Hermione said. She nodded.

“How’s the forum coming along?” Iris asked. Hermione sighed.

“Now that is something that I wish were going more smoothly,” Hermione said with a sigh. “But it will come together one way or another.”

“Harry seems to have enough to complain about,” Iris said with a laugh. “It was about all he could talk about when I met with him yesterday. He seems especially frustrated with MACUSA.” Hermione rolled her eyes.

“I swear the next owl he gets from them with yet another security request, he’s going to go mental,” Hermione said. Dominique chuckled at the image of her uncle losing it. While normally a very easy-going sort, Harry Potter could on occasion have spectacular outbursts of frustration. Though in the past they were usually aimed at his rather prank-happy eldest son.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Iris asked. “I know I’m not officially part of the Ministry, but if there is any way I could make things easier, I’d gladly do it.”

“I appreciate it, but I think we’ve got it covered. Though we may have to pull you lot over to help a bit. Things are starting to get hectic and it’s turning into more work than my task force can handle,” Hermione said, looking a Dominique. “I’ve already had Molly and Toby working on a few things while you and Chris were in France.”

“Makes sense. If this professor really does have all the answers, there really won’t be much of a reason for us to continue investigating that at least, will there?” the young woman replied. Hermione furrowed her brow.

“I’d like to think that, but doesn’t change the fact that we still have no clue what could be coming,” she said softly. “Teddy’s been looking into things while you all have been focusing on the professor, but… he’s been unable to find so much as a whisper of anything. Nothing from any terrorist groups or Voldemort’s old followers or… anything.”

“Yea, Chris mentioned he and I focusing on that while the rest of the team helps you out with the forum,” Dominique said. “I’m not even sure where to start.”

“Do you think this could be a completely new sect?” Iris asked. “It’s been over 20 years… there’s a good chance that some other dark lord could have been quietly gaining power.” Hermione sighed.

“Possibly? I just… if that’s the case and this thing is coming to a head, how could we have gone this long without hearing anything?” she asked. Iris shrugged.

“How was Voldemort able to gain as much power as he did before things got really bad?” she replied.

“At least this time we don’t have to worry about the Ministry trying to cover it up or sticking its head in the sand,” Dominique said. The older woman chuckled.

“Definitely learned a lesson from Fudge,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Anyways, whatever it is, we’ll find it and hopefully before it’s too late.”

“I suppose we should let you get to it, then,” Iris said, standing. “I left some potions simmering and I’m sure you have too much work for today.” Dominique followed her aunt. Hermione stood and walked around her desk, hugging Iris and then Dominique.

“It’s good to see you. Stop by whenever you want,” she said to the older woman. Iris smiled and nodded.

“I’ll try to,” she replied. Hermione looked to Dominique.

“I look forward to hearing from you both about the meeting with the professor,” she said.

“Hopefully we’ll have some more good news to share,” Dominique said with a smile. She and Iris then stepped out of the office.

“Meeting go well?” Magnus asked as he stood. Dominique looked over at him and smiled.

“Yes, it did,” she said.

“Good! Well then, I hope you both have a lovely day,” he said politely as he smiled nervously at the two women.

“You too!” Dominique said amicably as she and Iris left the office. “So what are you up to for the rest of the day?” she asked, glancing at her aunt as they walked back to the auror department.

“I really do have some potions to work on,” she said. “George is certainly keeping me busy lately.” Dominique chuckled.

“Well, it’s nearing Christmas season, so I’m not surprised,” she said. Iris glanced down at Dominique and then back down the hallway towards Hermione’s office.

“How long has Magnus worked with Hermione?” she asked casually. Dominique shrugged.

“A few months, I guess. I hadn’t heard about him until the first time I had to deliver a report,” she said. Iris nodded slowly.

“Seems like a nice chap,” she said.

“A bit nervous, though. He always seems to stutter and such a bit,” Dominique said.

“I suppose working with Hermione could have that effect on someone,” Iris said offhandedly. “Though he does seem to be lovely.” She glanced over at Dominique who was laughing.

“If you are trying to suggest I date him, Molly has already beaten you to it,” Dominique said. Iris sighed and nodded.

“He is rather good-looking,” Iris said. “Not my type, of course – I tend to lean more towards tall and bulky – but still, he’s rather easy on the eyes.” Dominique started laughing as she shot her aunt a look.

“Really, Aunt Iris. We all know your type is Uncle Oliver and no one else,” she said.

“All I’m saying is, he seems nice,” Iris said. “Have you thought about inviting him out for tea or coffee? I’m sure he could use more friends at the Ministry.”

“I assure you, going for coffee or tea is the last thing I should be doing now,” Dominique said.

“It doesn’t have to be a date. Just thought it wouldn’t hurt to get out and meet more people,” Iris said. 

“Merlin, she won’t listen to you either?” Molly said, walking up next to the two, a load of files in her arms. “Been trying to get her to go out with either Magnus or Chris for weeks.”

“Chris?” Iris said, looking down at her two nieces. Dominique glared at Molly.

“It’s nothing like that,” she said quickly. “Just wishful thinking on Molly’s part.”

“Makes no difference to me,” Iris said with a sigh. “Though he is good man.”

“Would both of you stop? I’m not dating right now and that’s final,” Dominique said as she stopped and looked back and forth between her cousin and aunt. She was trying to keep her frustration at bay, but enough was starting to become enough.

“Well that’s a shame. Victoire was saying something about trying to set you up with some bloke in the magical burn department,” Teddy said as he walked by the group. Dominique rolled her eyes as he grinned and winked at her.

“I swear you all are giving me a headache,” she said, looking at her family as her eyes narrowed.

“Perhaps if you didn’t shout, you wouldn’t have a headache,” Chris said, walking up from behind her. Dominique’s eyes widened as her cheeks turned slightly pink. She quickly turned around and walked off without a word. Chris stopped and looked off after her in confusion.

“What was that about?” he asked, looking at Teddy, Iris and Molly.

“Just… family stuff,” Teddy said with a grin. Chris shrugged and continued on towards the auror department after her.

~~~

Dominique walked into the department and went straight over to the group of desks outside Teddy’s office, plopping into the one next to Toby and loudly pulling a drawer open, looking through it for something.

“Something go wrong?” Toby asked, looking over at her. “Thought you were supposed to meet with the Minister.”

“I did,” Dominique said not looking up at him.

“Was it bad?”

She sighed and stopped rummaging through the desk, looking over at him.

“The meeting was perfectly fine. I’m just getting tired of my family and their ‘well-meaning’ advice,” she said dryly. Toby chuckled.

“What was it this time?” he asked.

“Dating,” Dominique replied.

“Who?” he asked, amused.

“Well, Aunt Iris thinks I should invite Aunt Hermione’s assistant out for tea or coffee. Then Molly popped up and said I should consider Chris. Then out of nowhere Teddy shows up, saying Victoire wants to set me up with someone at St. Mungo’s,” Dominique groaned. “You’d think I was incapable of getting my own dates.” Toby chuckled as he patted her on the arm.

“You know how your family is. They’ll take the mickey out of you for just about anything,” he replied. “Even I’m not safe. You should have heard the triplets go after me the time I got drunk and confessed to Daisy… they wouldn’t let me live it down for months.” Dominique looked up at him.

“That was rather hilarious,” she said, a hint of a smile on her face. She sighed. “I suppose it just sucks because I know they all know why I’m not dating right now. And it’s more than not finding a date.”

“Still thinking about Paul, are you?” he asked. She nodded.

“Not to mention, when am I supposed to have time with all the work we’re doing,” she added. Toby laughed.

“We both know you’re the only one overloading yourself,” he said. “The rest of us still manage a bit of a social life. And as for Paul, it’s understandable.” Dominique sighed heavily.

“I still can’t tell him and I still don’t want to put him in danger,” she said, looking down at her hands. “It’s gotten a bit easier, but even just watching matches… Every time I look at him I’m reminded that I’m still very much in love with him.” Toby studied her a moment.

“Keep your chin up, Dom. This won’t last forever. And… I tend to think that if something’s meant to be, it’ll find a way to work itself out,” he said. Dominique looked over at him.

“You really think so?” she asked. Toby shrugged.

“Iris and Oliver worked out and they had some pretty rough patches. And look at Jamie and Lila. That definitely shouldn’t have worked out, but it has,” he said matter-of-factly. Dominique nodded slowly as her mind filled with images of Paul.

“But… I still can’t tell him. If I could even try to start things up again, how do I explain why I broke up with him in the first place without telling him everything?” she asked. 

“To be honest, I’m not sure. I don’t know him that well,” he admitted. “But… don’t punish yourself over it. And don’t give up hope.” Dominique smiled slightly.

“Thanks, Toby,” she said.

At that moment, the group stepped in, looking over at Dominique. She shot them all a scowl as Iris and Teddy walked into his office and Molly and Chris walked over to their desks.

“Anyone fancy grabbing lunch?” Chris asked. “There’s a new sandwich place over on the corner.” Dominique stood abruptly and grabbed her purse. 

“I’ve got errands,” she said quickly before turning and walking back out. Chris followed her with his eyes and then looked back at Molly and Toby.

“Did I do something?” he asked.

“No, she did,” Toby said, pointing at Molly.

“Blimey, she can’t seem to take some teasing nowadays,” she muttered. 

“Really, take it easier on her with all that,” Toby said, causing Chris to look even more confused. “She’s still taking the breakup hard.”

“As if I didn’t already know that. I do live with her,” Molly said, exasperated. “Just thought, maybe if she got out there a little it would help. I’m not saying she needs to go grab another boyfriend, just… maybe if she spent time on something other than quidditch or work, she might be happier.”

“But I thought she didn’t want to be with anyone right now because of everything,” Chris said.

“Oh, she definitely wants to be with someone, she just feels like she can’t right now,” Toby said with a sigh. He then stood. “Come on, Chris. I’m starving.”


	19. Not Alone After All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iris, Daisy and Jamie are shocked to discover that they are not the only ones with these powers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Family/Drama  
> Rating: M (Language, Mention of abuse)

Iris stood on the doorstep behind Dominique and Chris, looking up at the large, ornate wood door to the home. It wasn’t quite large enough to be considered a manor, but it was still bigger than their home. And rather secluded out in the wilderness of the Highlands. If the professor was going for privacy, he certainly got it. Even with her abilities, she could feel the gentle tug of protection charms as they all arrived.

“Dom, you going to knock? It’s a bit cold out here,” Jamie asked from where he stood next to his mother. Daisy stood impatiently on her other side. The blonde woman shook her head and seemed to steel herself before reaching up and knocking very loudly on the door, using  the brass knocker. She then stepped back and waited.

When no one answered after a few moments, Daisy leaned forward.

“You sure he’s expecting us?” she asked. 

“Of course I’m sure. I confirmed with him twice by owl,” Dominique said while frowning.

“And I can confirm that. I was the one she sent to the owlry,” Chris said with a huff, earning an evil eye from Dominique.

Suddenly, the door opened and an older, grizzled man with varying shades of gray hair opened the door. A pair of gold frame glasses was balanced on his nose as he took in the group standing on his doorstep.

“Yes?” he asked.

“Professor Aliefantis?” Dominique asked. He nodded.

“Yes, who are you?” he asked gruffly, exhibiting a strong accent.

“I’m Dominique Weasley, from the British Ministry of Magic. I owled you about our visit today… a few times,” she said, confused. The old man stared at her a moment before a look of recollection came over his face. He then quickly looked around at the others before his gaze fell on Iris. A flash of astonishment came over his wizened face, before he quickly covered it up with a friendly smile.

“Ah, yes, yes! Please come in! Forgive me, I spend so much time here to myself with my books that sometimes I forget my appointments,” he said, stepping back and allowing them to walk into his home. The group stepped into the large foyer and he shut the door behind him. “We can go to the library,” he said, stepping up to lead them through the maze of a house. They finally entered a large, well lit room with large windows taking up one wall that looked out over the garden and land beyond. It was possibly the biggest personal library any of them had seen.

“You have such a lovely home, Professor,” Iris said politely while looking around the room. The shelves were two stories high with a balcony lining the three walls of the room.

“Please, call me Nikos. Only my students called me professor and, well, it’s been some time since I taught anyone,” he said amiably as he led them to a grouping of a sofa and armchairs situated in front of a large fireplace. As they sat, a tea service appeared on the table, causing all of them to raise their eyebrows. They had neither seen nor heard the man order up tea.

“As you may recall, we’re here to speak with you about your research into ancient magic, specifically that related to Greek history and culture,” Dominique said formally after they had all been handed tea cups. Nikos nodded from his armchair.

“Yes, it was the main focus of my studies along with other ancient magical cultures and civilizations,” he said. “What is the British Ministry of Magic’s interest in this?”

“We’ve formed a commission to fill in some of the holes in our own archives,” Dominique said, reciting the backstory they had concocted. The old man chuckled.

“I’ve been in your archives. I find it hard to believe there are any holes there,” he said. “Quite an extensive collection.”

“Yes, but some records have been lost over the years. We decided it was time to recover them,” she said. “Not to mention there are a few things we’d like to ask you about that were not covered extensively.” He studied Chris and Dominique a moment, taking in their professional robes, before turning to look at the Woods. Dominique nearly died when Daisy and Jamie showed up in jeans, berating herself for forgetting to tell them to dress up a bit more.

“And you… you all work with the Ministry?” he asked, curious.

“Ah… no, we’re just fans of your work,” Iris said smoothly. Jamie and Daisy stayed silent, glancing at their mother. “Dominique is family, so we asked if we could join her so we could have the opportunity to meet you. Your work is very fascinating.” The old man studied the three on the sofa with a small smile.

“I should think you find it interesting,” he said. “A bit of a personal attachment to my work, no?” Iris’ eyebrows shot up.

“I beg your pardon?” she asked, confused. Nikos chuckled.

“I have heard of you, Iris Evans-Wood. I admit, I should have sought you out long ago when I first had my suspicions. But, I like to keep my privacy - it’s very important to me which is why I mostly lived and worked among non-magical folk. Easier to hide and blend in. And it seems that there was always attention surrounding you and your family,” he said. Iris blushed slightly. “But now… It seems you have found me. Such a happy coincidence.”

“You know who I am?” Iris asked, putting her cup down. Dominique and Chris seemed to  freeze in their chairs.

“Yes… and I know what you are. I had been hoping you would come when I received Ms. Weasley’s email,” he said, keeping Iris’ gaze locked with his own. Jamie sputtered on his tea, nearly spitting it out. He coughed as he put his cup down and looked up at the old man.

“You do?” Daisy asked breathlessly.

“Of course I do. I am one as well,” he said, his eyes twinkling. Dominique felt her mouth drop open, though she quickly closed it, and tried to regain some semblance of professionalism. She glanced at Chris, whose brow was furrowed as he studied the old man.

“You mean… there are more like Aunt Iris?” Dominique asked, still barely able to register what the professor was telling them. She had hoped he would have some answers for them, but she hadn’t expected they would find more people with gifts.

“Yes, there are. We call ourselves Prostatis,” the professor said, chuckling softly. “It means protector in our language.”

“We?” Iris said. “I… I always thought that I was the only one…”

“There is a small community of us on the island of Moni, just off Aegina in the Mediterranean Sea. I presumed it was the only place in the world where our kind would appear, but it seems I was wrong,” he said.

“Hold on, what?” Daisy said loudly, feeling as though her head would burst. “There is a whole village?” Nikos nodded.

“Last I checked, I believe there were about 200 in the village, though… well, I suppose I should start from the beginning,” he said. The group nodded silently. He made himself comfortable in his chair, taking a deep breath before he began.

“There is a story we like to tell - I am not so sure of the truth, but it is the only that exists of our origins. That many millennia ago, the goddess Athena chose two men and two women to act as her emissaries on earth. To protect mankind during war and conflict. She and her brother Ares were always fighting and he would often go after mortals, who the goddess cared for dearly. So she gave them a means to protect themselves. A great power,” he said.

“However, as what tends to happen when you give someone great power, someone chooses to  exploit it. Two abandoned their purpose and began to use their power to attain wealth and power over others. Ares naturally sought them out and recruited them. There was a great war and many cities were destroyed. Many people died,” he said solemnly. “The evil ones were destroyed, but those who remained realized how dangerous they could be, so they settled into a hidden place. Closed off from the rest of the world and heavily protected from those who would seek to use them for evil.

“There we have resided ever since. Only those like us can enter. As you see from our history, we don’t like to broadcast who we are or that we exist. Too much unwanted attention. It must be an inherited trait as I see you’ve been able to keep your gifts mostly hidden.”

“I just didn’t like all the spotlight - I grew up in hiding so it’s taken a while for me to adjust,” Iris replied. “But… you were born there?” Nikos nodded.

“I was always an inquisitive child. I wanted to see the world - learn about it. And I wanted to know if there were more like us out there. So I left. And I searched the world. But never did I find anyone else - until you,” he said.

“Why do you think I was… that I received these gifts?” Iris asked. Dominique looked over at Chris, who gave her a nod, the two coming to a silent agreement to let the Woods steer the questioning for the time being.

“I suspect that would have been the Second Wizarding War,” Nikos said candidly. Iris nodded silently.

“I suppose that would be an obvious answer,” she said. “I just hoped there would have been one that didn’t involve war or disaster.”

“We were created for a purpose – to protect. Not just our loved ones and families, but everyone. So, unfortunately, more become marked just before some great danger,” he said with a sad sigh. Daisy and Jamie looked at their mother, who was blinking back tears.

“I was afraid of that. You see… Daisy and Jamie became marked a few months ago,” she said softly. Nikos sat up in his chair and looked at the two young people seated on each side of Iris.

“Both of them?” he asked, pointing to them. Iris nodded.

“I’ve been marked from birth, but theirs recently appeared, granted they both had certain gifts since they were young. Daisy is a metamorphmagus and Jamie is a Legilimens,” she said.

“But now we can do more,” Jamie added. “We can use magic without a wand, orb and create shields.” Nikos nodded slowly, studying the three.

“This… I believe this is not a good sign,” he said. “Something is coming if you have become marked. And it is only then that we can come into our full strength.” Dominique felt her stomach start to churn as the dread set in.

“So we were right… this is an omen of something dark to come,” she said hollowly. Nikos’ eyes flicked over to her.

“I believe so. As I said, our numbers grow before some danger or war. Babes are born with it. Those already grown will develop it. Dormant powers will awaken. There were a great many of us during World War I and World War II, though not as many newly marked the last few decades,” he said. “I will check with the village though. It’s been awhile since I last spoke to them… there may be more if you two have been marked.”

“Prof-Nikos, is there anything more you can tell us about these gifts?” Dominique asked, glancing over at Daisy. He turned in his chair to look at the blonde woman.

“Well, I believe some of them you all are familiar with it seems, as you already exhibit them-”

“Wait, that’s only some?” Jamie interrupted. “That’s all Mum can do. Daisy and I can do most of it, though she can’t read minds and I can’t change my appearance.”

“You are newly marked, so some things will develop over time or with some training. But yes, there are still some things even your mother has yet to learn,” Nikos replied. Iris seemed dumbfounded.

“Me? But… I’m so old,” she said. Nikos chuckled.

“I think you will find, Iris, we do not live by the same rules as the rest of the magical community. And age, well, time does not affect us like the rest,” he said. “At 51, you are still considered quite young.” Iris’ eyebrows rose slightly as she silently took a sip of her tea, letting that information sink in. “I, myself, will be celebrating my 205 th birthday in a few months.”

Daisy fell back on the sofa, looking up at the ceiling with a dazed smile on her face. Nikos stared at her curiously.

“Is she alright?” he asked, looking at Jamie. He glanced over at her.

“She’s fine,” he said with a small smile. “Just thinking about how she’ll be able to play quidditch longer than she initially expected.” Nikos looked back at Daisy and chuckled. Dominique frowned at her cousin and cleared her throat, gaining the professor’s attention again.

“You mentioned that there could be other abilities?” she asked. He nodded.

“Yes, there are a great many things that we can do. However, most of us develop a special gift – something we can do that many others cannot. What it is, well, that depends on the person,” he said with a shrug. Daisy sat up and looked at him, seeming to have regained her bearings.

“What about the connection?” she asked. Nikos looked at her.

“It helps us to better protect our loved ones,” he said simply.

“Yes, I know, but… how does it choose who to connect with?” she asked.

“Your family is a given. But outside that, it doesn’t choose. We choose,” he said. Daisy frowned slightly.

“We choose?” she asked. “But… what if you want to choose someone and it doesn’t come?” Iris and Jamie looked over at her, confused by her line of questioning. Within seconds they both had looked into her mind and glanced at each other, before returning to studying Daisy.

“I should explain better. It is not as easy as thinking, ‘Ah, I choose this one,’ and it is done. Our magic senses who we have a deep connection with – who our soul connects with. It’s not just about loving someone – though love is certainly a foundation for it. It is about a person that we cannot live without. A person that we have a deep bond with,” he said. Daisy nodded silently, looking down at her hands.

“But… it can take time to develop, right?” she asked, glancing up at him.

“It doesn’t come all at once, no,” he said, he studied her a moment then smiled slightly, realizing what she was thinking about. “You are unsure, I see.” Her eyes flew up to him as her cheeks started turning red. “It is nothing to be ashamed of, young Daisy. It will come with time and… I can sense that it has already started and that it will be strong.”

While she looked somewhat relieved, her face was still strained. Iris glanced over at her, making a mental note to find time to discuss this with her daughter later in a more private setting.

“How do you know this?” Iris asked. The professor smiled.

“That is one of my gifts… I can see things,” he said. The group was silent, waiting for further explanation, but the professor seemed content to leave it at that.

“So… is there anything you can tell us about these other abilities?” Chris asked, steering the conversation.

“Yes, like what are they exactly?” Dominique asked, feeling impatient with his vague explanations. He had still yet to mention just what he and others could do. What Daisy, Iris and Jamie might be able to do. Nikos chuckled as he looked over at the two.

“You Ministry folk… always staying on task. You seem very interested in these abilities? Why? So you can study them? Somehow attempt to learn them yourselves?” he asked. While his face was in an amiable smile, Dominique could sense a cold undertone. He was suspicious. Though she supposed she could kind of understand why.

“It’s my family. Of course I’m interested,” she said, straightening up in her chair in an attempt to look more foreboding. “Because whatever is coming, they are at the center of it. You may know Iris, but you don’t know the rest of my family. We lost people in the second war – Iris lost her sister in the first. I want to make sure we don’t lose anymore. And if there is anything you can tell us that would help prevent that, then by all means, please do.”

Nikos studied her for a moment, as though he were reading her thoughts.

“I do know your family, Ms. Weasley. Otherwise I would not have answered your letter. I know the loss you have bore. I, too, do not wish for there to be more. But there are always losses when it comes to war,” he said before looking over to Chris. “And you?”

“They might as well be my family at this point,” Chris said, his face stern. “But more than that, I swore to protect all the wizarding world and I intend to do whatever I can.”

Nikos was quiet again, looking around at the five people sitting in his library.

“Yes… I must help,” he finally said. “And I will help you. But… not by telling you. I must show you. You must learn more about us and our history. Who we are and what we can do.” He was staring intently at Daisy, Jamie and Iris.

“We must go to the island,” he concluded.


	20. A State of Shock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Woods, Weasleys and Potters are in a bit of shock after realizing that their worst fears may be coming true. Another war.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Family/Drama  
> Rating: M (Language, Mention of abuse)

Dominique, Daisy and Jamie all sat calmly on the sofa at the Woods’ flat later that evening while the rest of the room was an explosion of voices. They had called in Toby, Teddy, Victoire, Freddie, James, Lila, Molly and Lucy, while Chris quietly stood behind the sofa next to Wills. Dominique questioned the chaser’s presence, but Daisy insisted he be there so they would only have to explain everything once. It was a rather large amount of information and he would have figured it out anyway. Not to mention he was just as much a part of the family as anyone.

Iris was taking care of informing the rest of the family – namely the parents and grandparents - at the Woods’ country house.

“Alright, quiet! I can’t think!” Teddy finally shouted, getting everyone to quiet down. James and Freddie were both grinning as they looked at their cousins on the sofa.

“This is brilliant news,” James exclaimed. Dominique frowned at him. “Well, yea, I mean the bit about war isn’t, but you lot finally know what you are, so that’s good.”

“And now you’re going to Greece?” Wills said, looking down at Daisy.

“We’re leaving the day after my last match,” Daisy said. “Nikos wanted to leave right away, but Jamie and I couldn’t leave until the winter break or else we’d draw too much attention.”

“Not to mention Dad and Nilsson would kill us,” Jamie added.

“And it’s just you lot and Mum?” Remus asked. Daisy looked over at him and nodded.

“Nikos said that only our kind can enter the village,” she said. “We’ll be there for the full break. And may have to go back a bit over the summer, depending on things.”

“So… in a few weeks’ time, you, Jamie and Mum will be off to some island for two months,” Alan said.

“Think you two can manage to not burn down the flat in that time?” Jamie asked with a smile.

“As long as Alan doesn’t cook, yea I think we can fare,” Remus said. Alan glared at him.

“I cook better than you,” he scoffed. “It’s those two you need to worry about if they come over.” He pointed over at James and Freddie at the other side of the room.

“What makes you think we’d go and destroy the best party location in wizarding London?” Freddie asked, seeming slightly offended, though he was grinning which tempered it.

“What are you going to tell everyone?” Wills asked, drawing the attention back to Daisy and Jamie. Daisy sighed.

“Jamie’s old injury is acting up so he’s going to a specialist hospital for physical therapy. Mum and I are going to keep him company,” she said. “You guys can’t come into the village, but Mum is thinking about having you and Dad come visit a nearby town for a bit, if you’d like.”

“What if Nilsson doesn’t let you go for two months?” Remus asked. Daisy looked up at him.

“He already knows half of the story… Mum and Dad said they may tell him the rest if he puts up a fuss,” she said.

“So much for keeping this a family secret,” Chris said, rolling his eyes.

“As I recall, you’re not family,” Dominique retorted.

“Neither are Wills or Toby,” he shot back.

“On the contrary, I’ve been considered family for years,” Wills said smiling. “As has Toby. Extended, non-blood family. Not to mention, Pix and I getting married-”

“We get it, Wills,” Jamie said with a chuckle. Wills grinned and then looked down at Daisy, who seemed listless.

“So… how are you lot feeling about this?” he asked, looking at the two. “Seems like a lot to take in.”

“Relieved, I guess. We know what we are. And I’ll finally learn to completely control it,” Daisy said.

“So no more fireworks? I rather liked the fireworks,” James said. Daisy shot him a glare and he quickly shut up.

“I’m ready to learn new things,” Jamie added. “The professor said there’s more that even Mum will be able to do.” Everyone seemed shocked.

“You mean… even Aunt Iris will be training with you?” Molly asked. Daisy and Jamie nodded.

“Apparently she’s still rather young by Prostatis standards. He didn’t give us an exact number, but they apparently live a very long time,” he replied.

“So Jamie and I will outlive all of you,” she said, smiling smugly. “I’ll be playing quidditch longer than any other player in the League.” Jamie rolled his eyes.

“Of course you’d focus on that bit,” he muttered. Remus and Alan stared at their siblings, though Alan glanced over at Remus, worried his old jealousies would flare up again. They had just gotten things calm around the flat and the last thing they needed was for him to lay into Daisy again.

Remus sighed heavily and nodded.

“Seems like you three are going to have a tiring break coming up,” he said. “You think you’ll manage?” Daisy and Jamie glanced at each other and then up at their brothers.

“I hope so,” Daisy said, her thoughts quickly turned to what Nikos had said about the connections. She frowned slightly, as she thought about John. Nikos had relieved most of her worries, but she still felt distressed. He said it would come, but what if she hadn’t felt John at the party and it was someone else? How did she have that conversation with him? More and more lately she was beginning to wonder if it had been someone else. What’s more, if she had felt Wills rather than John. But why would it be Wills? He had always been like a big brother to her. Sure there was her childhood crush, but that was gone during her first few years of Hogwarts. Though, there was a time during her last year where she had entertained certain thoughts about it, but she chalked it up to a teen crush. She felt her cheeks warm as she recalled a few racy dreams she had had.

But, that was years ago. And she was with John. She loved him. But was there a part of her that had always cared for Wills as well?

Alan watched her a moment before clearing his throat and getting Jamie’s attention. He nodded towards Daisy. Jamie glanced at her and then back up at his brother.

_ “She’s worried about the connection,”  _ he sent him. Alan glanced at her and back at Jamie.

_ “I thought she said she felt it with Kingfisher?”  _ he asked. Jamie shook his head slightly.

_ “She hasn’t felt it since the party and it’s worrying her. The professor said it would come, but she’s worried that it wasn’t him,”  _ he replied.  _ “She hasn’t told John any of this.” _

Remus caught on that a silent conversation was going on between Alan and Jamie while the vocal conversation picked up around the room, mainly Dominique and Chris relaying more of what transpired during the meeting to Toby, Molly and Teddy. He started scowling at Jamie, who obliged and filled him in. All three of them looked at Daisy, who was still lost in her thoughts.

_ “Can we talk about this later? After everyone leaves?”  _ Jamie pleaded. He was starting to get a headache. Remus and Alan nodded. Wills caught on to the movement and glanced down at Jamie. He knew they must be talking about Daisy, who was starting to worry him more and more as she sat silent on the sofa.

“Hey, Pix. What’s got you looking so serious?” he asked, placing his hand on her shoulder. Daisy jumped slightly and looked up at him, smiling slightly.

“Nothing… just a bit overwhelmed is all,” she said. “I should probably get home to John and let him know about the trip.” She stood and looked around the room. “See you later.” She then disappeared. Wills looked down at Jamie who pointedly looked away, not wanting to let on to anything. He could see already that Wills was not going to be leaving the flat until he got it out of the three brothers what was bothering their younger sister.

They all missed the look of concern that flinted between Molly, Lucy, Dominique and Victoire after Daisy left.

~~~

Daisy walked into the flat and looked around.

“John?” she called out, wondering where he could be.

“In the kitchen!” he shouted. Daisy walked in and found him at the stove, busy working on dinner.

“What’s this?” she asked, stepping over to smell it.

“Thought I’d do the cooking tonight,” he said with a smile. Daisy kissed his cheek.

“Smells good,” she replied as she turned and pulled out two glasses from the cabinet then reached for a bottle of wine on the counter.

“How was visiting your parents?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Good… turns out Jamie’s neck and back are starting to bother him again, so Mum and I are taking him to this specialized hospital over break to get it looked after,” she said casually as she poured the wine and then pushed one of the glasses over to John.

“How long will you be gone?” he asked.

“The whole break,” she said. “We leave the day after our last match.” John frowned slightly.

“You’ll be gone for Christmas,” he said. Daisy sighed and turned to lean against the counter, looking up at him as she took a sip.

“I know… I’m sorry about that. But it’s important for Jamie,” she said.

“Couldn’t Lila go?” he asked. “Why does it have to be you?”

“Mum wants me to go. She thinks getting away for a bit will help with… stuff,” she said with a shrug. He nodded and turned back to the food.

“Just… won’t be the same without you here for the holidays,” he said.

“We can exchange gifts before I leave. And you can still go to the country house. The rest of the family will be there and you are welcome to stay with Dad, Remus and Alan,” she said. “It’s not like you’ll be sitting around the flat on your own.”

John looked at her a moment and then smiled slightly.

“I know, I know. Just seems to be all of a sudden,” he said. Daisy leaned over and kissed his cheek again.

“Its three weeks away, John,” she said, laughing softly. “I’m not leaving tomorrow and you’ll survive without me.” She then walked into the living room and grabbed the remote, turning the TV on. John glanced in and studied her as she settled on the sofa. To anyone else, she appeared at ease, but he could see her jaw was tight. Daisy was hiding something from him. He sighed and turned back to the food, silently debating whether to broach the topic with her.

By the time he had finished and the two had settled on the sofa eating, he still hadn’t completely decided if he was going to ask her.

“So… where is this place?” he asked, watching Daisy.

“Greece,” she said. “It’s on this little island away from muggles.”

“I didn’t know that Jamie was having trouble. He hides it well,” he commented.

“He’s been on pain potions a bit,” she said, glancing up at him. “It’s not often, but enough that Dad suggested he get it looked after now so it won’t cause him problems later on.” John nodded slowly.

“They take visitors?” he asked. Daisy froze slightly and looked up at him from her plate of pasta. “Just thought… if you’re going to be there all break, maybe I could come down for a few days.”

“I’m not sure,” she said, furrowing her brow. “I’ll have to talk to Mum.”

“Your mom likes me. I’m sure she’d be fine with it,” he replied.

“I should still ask her first before we settle anything,” she said quickly. John stared at her a moment and then sighed.

“Let me guess… this has something to do with whatever it is you can’t tell me,” he said, not looking up from his plate. Daisy sighed heavily and put her fork down.

“John, please don’t,” she begged softly. “I really don’t want to get into this again.”

“Are you ever going to tell me what’s going on?” he asked, his frustration starting to show.

“I don’t know,” Daisy said honestly. “I mean… I suppose at some point, but right now, I just can’t.” She picked up her fork and started picking at her food again. “Just… trust me on this.” He glanced at her and then sighed.

“Fine.”

~~~

Nilsson sat silently staring at his desk as the magnitude of what Oliver and Iris Wood just told him set in. His eyes flicked up to the couple, who were sitting across from him with anxious looks on their faces.

“I’m sorry we didn’t tell you the full story from the beginning,” Iris said. “But you must understand why we didn’t.” Nilsson took a deep breath and nodded slowly.

“I do,” he said, his brow furrowed. “So… you are going to this island over the break to find out more information?” Iris nodded. “And you think this will help Daisy?”

“I don’t see how it couldn’t,” Oliver said. “She’ll be among others like her. They’ll teach her to use and control her magic. I know she’s been doing better lately, but I don’t think we really have a choice here. They know more than we do.”

“I don’t either,” Nilsson said. “But… about this danger… are you any closer to knowing what it is?”

Oliver and Iris glanced at each other and then back at the coach.

“We’re not,” Iris admitted. “But we’re looking into it.”

“And you, Daisy and Jamie are somehow connected to it, whatever it is?” he asked softly.

“Unfortunately,” Iris said, her brow furrowed. “I wish they weren’t, but… they’re marked. The  professor we found says it’s an omen.” Nilsson nodded again.

“Is there anything I can do?” he asked. Oliver’s eyebrows shot up. He wasn’t expecting the quiet coach to offer assistance. “I know Oliver said that there wasn’t much I could before, but my offer still stands.”

“I’m not sure,” Iris said. “But… I hope that we won’t need it.”

“Well, thank you for telling me everything. The past few months make more sense now,” he said. And they did. He now saw why Daisy had been so distracted and depressed. It was more than just learning to control her new magic – it was about the fact that she would have to use it someday. It was a scary thought and more than any one person should have to worry about. Especially someone as young as Daisy. She was years younger than even Iris was when she had to fight in the second war.

“So… Daisy has permission to miss the winter break practice?” Oliver asked. Nilsson nodded.

“Of course,” he said. “She needs to be on this island more than she needs to be on the pitch. We’ll worry about the second half when she gets back.”

“Thank you for understanding,” Iris said. She took a deep breath and looked at her husband. “Now, I suppose we’ll let you get back to your work. We’ve taken up far too much of your time as it is.”

“It’s no problem at all,” Nilsson replied as they stood. Oliver nodded at the coach and he and his wife left. Nilsson sat back down in his chair heavily. Alone with his thoughts, Lucas started reeling.

A war. Some sort of danger. And Daisy – his tiny, fiery seeker – was somehow tied up in it. He massaged his temples, trying to wrap his head around it. All the old feelings he had put aside for her suddenly came roaring back to the forefront of his mind.

He was happy with Julia. And he certainly was no longer in love with Daisy. But he couldn’t help but be more than a little concerned for the youngest Wood and the entre Wood family by extension.

He sighed heavily and looked over at the open playbook on his desk. He watched as a small “D” zoomed throughout the formations.

“Daisy, how are we going to get you through this,” he murmured.

~~~

“Alright, out with it,” Wills said after Freddie and James had finally left. They were the last of the little impromptu shindig and probably would have stayed longer if Jamie hadn’t threatened to literally throw them out. It was now just Wills at the flat with the three brothers.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Alan said, walking over to the fridge.

“Come off it, I know you were having one of your secret conversations earlier. Really, you should consider working on keeping a straight face when you do that,” he said, sitting down in one of the armchairs and crossing his arms. “I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s going on.”

Remus and Jamie looked at each other. Alan came back to them, holding out two bottles of beer.

“Might as well tell him. He’ll find out on his own at some point anyway,” he said before returning to the fridge and grabbing two more. He then walked over and sat on the sofa after handing one to Wills. Jamie sighed and looked over at his captain, noting he was in one of his rare serious moods.

“Right, well, it’s about Pix,” he said finally.

“Figured as much. Usually whenever your faces go all wonky like that, it’s because of Pixie,” he said. “What’s going on?”

“She’s worried because she hasn’t felt the connection with John since the party,” he said. Wills eyebrows shot up.

“She hasn’t?” he asked, leaning back in the chair as he took a long drink of the beer.

“The professor tried to explain to us how it works. Apparently the magic senses deep, personal bonds that we have with others outside our family,” Jamie explained. “Someone that we can’t live without.”

Wills nodded and thought a moment.

“Maybe it just takes time,” he said practically.

“That’s what the professor said. And he told her it would come. So I’m not sure why she’s still worried about it,” Jamie said with a sigh. “I suspect she’s worried that she hasn’t told John and he’ll find out.”

“That she hasn’t felt him since the party?” Wills asked. Jamie nodded. “Reckon that won’t go over well when he finds out.”

“She’s hoping he doesn’t,” Alan said. “That it’ll develop fully before she has to have that conversation.”

“Has she been talking to you lot about this?” Wills asked, looking at the three.

“No,” Jamie admitted. “I’ve picked it up in her head. She can’t stop thinking about it.”

“What if it wasn’t Kingfisher?” Remus asked, looking at Wills before turning to Jamie. “You said that was the other thing she was worried about… that it could have been someone else that she felt. Even you said you couldn’t tell if it was Kingfisher at the party.”

Wills looked up at Jamie, not realizing the two had been aware of what happened. His cheeks started to burn slightly as he prayed they didn’t mention it out loud. It was bad enough he was already reliving that awkward conversation in his mind.

“Who else could it have been?” Alan replied. “She’s head over heels for him and as far as I’m aware, she’s not been entertaining thoughts about anyone else. At least she hasn’t mentioned it.”

Jamie’s eyes flicked over to the chaser, eyebrows raised. Wills suddenly became rather fascinated with the label on his beer bottle.

“She’s awfully close to Nilsson… maybe it could have been him. He was there too,” Wills offered without looking up.

“Nah, she just sees him as a mentor and older brother type,” Remus said, studying the chaser.

“Then it was likely John,” Wills said, looking up. His eyes met Jamie’s.

_ “It wasn’t me, Jamie,”  _ Wills thought.  _ “It couldn’t have been me. We both know that Pix doesn’t think of me that way.” _

Jamie stared at him a moment and sighed.

“Whatever this means, best hope that something happens with John soon. Otherwise she just  might blow up his apartment,” he said.


	21. Stepping Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Wood brothers wonder what to do about Daisy, while John is upset that she's apparently sharing the secret with their coach, but not him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Family/Drama  
> Rating: M (Language, Mention of abuse)

“What else can we possibly do to delay going back in?” Dominique mused as she and Chris walked slowly through Diagon Alley.

After a week of being chained to their desks writing reports about the meeting with Nikos and going through old auror case files on potential terrorist groups, Teddy had sent the two of them out on a few errands. Dominique didn’t even complain that it was mostly personal, mundane tasks that he should have been doing himself and suspected he only did to rid himself of Dominique’s incessant groaning every time he walked by. Regardless, she was that happy to get out of the office for a bit and into the fresh air, even if the weather was starting to turn bitterly cold. She was definitely not one to be cooped up in the Ministry all the time, that was for sure.

“Other than walking at a glacial pace?” Chris asked as he looked down at her, smiling.

“It’s almost lunch time. We should have lunch before we go back,” she declared. Chris chuckled.

“I like that idea. Plus the Ministry canteen hasn’t been that great lately,” he said, looking around the Alley. “I’ve never been there before.” He pointed at a quaint looking café on a corner. Dominique stopped and studied it a moment before nodding her approval and the two stepped over towards it.

After they had been seated and their orders taken, Dominique gazed out the window at the various people walking by. Chris watched her a moment, thinking back to the day she had huffed out of the ministry, frustrated with her family’s teasing about her dating life. Toby hadn’t really said much more about it since then, but he did feel bad for her. Of everyone on the team, he understood all too well what she was going through.

He had been down that road. Leaving someone you loved in order to protect them. It was the main reason he had mostly stayed out of the dating world since then. He didn’t want to chance endangering someone else and truth be told, he still harbored a bit of feeling for his last girlfriend as well. Especially now that it seemed there was some sort of crisis on the horizon.

“So… things settling down with the family?” he asked before taking a sip of water. Dominique looked over at him, an eyebrow raised.

“As much as they can,” she said with a sigh. “I worry about Daisy, though.” Chris frowned. Not exactly the direction he was hoping to take, but he went with it.

“How so?” he asked.

“She keeps obsessing about the whole connection thing,” she said. “Won’t do her any good.”

“Still not feeling anything?” he asked. Dominique nodded, looking down as her salad appeared.

“To be honest, I’m glad I don’t have to worry about that. I’d go barmy constantly feeling my family,” she said, reaching for a fork. “Not to mention the whole ‘Does this mean we’re not meant to be’ dilemma that Daisy seems to have latched onto.”

Chris frowned slightly as he took a bite of his sandwich.

“That bad, huh?” he asked. Dominique nodded. She took a bite of her salad and looked out the window again.

“Honestly, I think at this point she should just come clean with him,” she said. Her thoughts began turning back towards Paul, which they seemed to be doing more lately – especially whenever Daisy and John came up. She frowned as she tried to banish the thought of him.

“Earth to Dominique?”

She jumped slightly, realizing that she had been gazing out of the window for a few minutes.

“Sorry, lost in my own thoughts there for a bit,” she said, stabbing at her salad.

“Anything you want to talk about?” Chris asked. Dominique sighed and looking up at him.

“Rather girly, I should think,” she said with a sad smile.

“I told you, Dom, I understand. I’ve been there. You can talk to me about Paul if you need to,” he said. Dominique nodded.

“I should talk about it,” she started. “But I can’t. Not really. Molly tries to get me to talk about it, but… it’s not really easy.”

“You still care about him,” Chris said, making a statement more so than posing a question.

“Of course I do,” she said softly. “I didn’t leave him because there was something wrong. In fact, everything was quite good. Still could be good, I think.”

“Do you plan to try and get back together with him someday?” he asked. Dominique looked up at him. She thought a bit before answering.

“I’m not sure. I’d like to, but I don’t know if it’ll be possible,” she said, looking back down at her salad.

“Is he a good guy?” Chris asked. “Can you trust him?” Dominique looked up at him again. She nodded. “Then… I think if you decide you want to give it another go, he’ll understand. And I don’t see anything wrong with telling him. I mean, Kelly and Wills know. Don’t see why he can’t. To be honest, I’m not sure why Daisy won’t just tell Kingfisher what’s going on.”

Dominique sighed and glanced down at her salad.

“Seems all her problems would be solved if she’d just tell him. Though… I suppose I understand a bit why. She thinks she’s protecting him,” Dominique said. “It’s the same reason I broke up with Paul rather than tell him.” Chris was silent a few moments.

“Suppose that makes sense,” he said finally. Dominique huffed and put her fork down.

“Blimey this is depressing. Can we talk about something else besides my failed relationship and my family’s drama?” she asked, smiling slightly. Chris chuckled and nodded.

“Sure,” he said. “How about that Puddlemere-Harpies game?” Dominique groaned slightly. They had put it on the wireless at the office the other day, barely able to get any work done as they were all glued to it.

“I tried so hard to talk Teddy into letting us go, but he put his foot down. It’s not like we’re working on anything too urgent at the moment anyway,” she said, grimacing. “I still don’t know how Toby was able to go.”

“I think he owled in sick,” Chris said, laughing. Dominique’s eyes widened.

“That little bugger,” she said. “I didn’t know he could be so devious.”

“I overheard him and Daisy talking about it at the party afterwards. It was her idea,” he said.

“Now that doesn’t surprise me,” Dominique said. “For all the fuss she makes about Remus and Alan’s pranks, she can be just as bad.”

“Merlin knows they were able to talk her into some of them,” Chris said. Dominique thought for a moment and then smiled.

“That’s it, I’m owling in sick next Arrow’s match that falls during the week,” she said. “Teddy be damned. I think I’ve earned a day off.” Chris laughed loudly, entertained by her determination.

“You know, I never realized you were so into quidditch. When did that start up?” he asked. Dominique scoffed.

“I’ve always been interested in it,” she said. “I know during school it seemed like I was only interested in clothes or studying. But I paid close attention to all the matches.”

Chris nodded slowly.

“You continually surprise me, Weasley,” he said with a smile. She shrugged and smiled.

“You didn’t think I only dated Paul because he was famous, did you?” she asked with a wink. “I dated him because we could talk quidditch all the time.”

They continued talking and laughing for nearly an hour. As the conversation continued, Dominique started to think that she had been wrong in her assessment of Chris from school. Sure he had his annoying moments, but he wasn’t a bad bloke. She found herself quite happy that they got to work together. Especially since Teddy had just told her that morning that her indefinite transfer had gone through. It was one step closer to her being permanently transferred to his team. Something she had casually mentioned to her brother-in-law and was rewarded with a cheeky grin and a wink.

They stood paying awhile later, Dominique sighing heavily as she realized they would have to go back to the office now.

“Dominique?”

Dominique turned slightly, seeing Magnus slowly grin as he realized it was indeed her standing there.

“Magnus, how good to see you,” she said warmly. Chris raised his eyebrows. “Right, this is my partner, Chris Abbott. Chris, this is Magnus, Aunt Hermione’s assistant.” Chris nodded to the man, silently sizing him up. Though there was a slight tint to his cheeks. He found he rather liked when she referred to him as her partner.

“Must admit, it seems a bit odd to see you outside the ministry,” Magnus said, seeming more at ease than he usually did. Maybe it was being in close proximity to the Minister of Magic that had made him so nervous.

“It is a bit. Are you out for lunch?” she asked. Magnus nodded.

“The minister is a bit partial to the lattes here. She always asks me to bring her one when I go out,” he said. “Are things going well on your project?” Dominique nodded.

“We’ve had some major breakthroughs that we’re proud of,” she said smiling. “Hopefully Aunt Hermione isn’t working you too hard.”

“Oh, it’s nothing I can’t handle,” he said amiably, glancing over at Chris, then back at Dominique. “By the way, I wanted to ask the last time you stopped by the office, you wouldn’t by chance be free tomorrow, would you?” Dominique’s eyebrows flew up.

“I am. Why?” she asked.

“I was just wondering if you’d be interested in getting a drink. Nothing fancy or anything, but maybe just hangout a bit. Swap evil boss stories and the like,” he said. Dominique was a bit confused and not completely sure if she wanted to. But, there was something about his open eagerness and easy smile that seemed to win her over. Her brother’s encouragement to get out more floated around in her mind.

And Dominique could use a night out away from the constant talk about the upcoming danger or her cousins. Maybe her family had been on to something. Besides, it’s not like it was a date.

“Sure,” she said. “What time and where should I meet you?” Magnus beamed.

“How about in the lobby of the Ministry around 6:30?” he asked. Dominique nodded.

“I’ll see you then, I guess,” she said.

“See you then.”

Dominique waved as she and Chris walked out of the café and towards the Leaky Cauldron where they would leave the wizarding district and make their way back to the Ministry of Magic. She glanced up at Chris, noting that he was brooding slightly.

“What’s that about?” she asked. Chris looked down at her and then focused back on the street in front of them.

“Nothing,” he said. “Just… didn’t expect you to agree to go on a date with someone so easily.” Dominique laughed shortly.

“That’s not a date,” she said. “It’s just two colleagues meeting for drinks.”

“I don’t like him,” Chris stated bluntly. Dominique stopped and turned to face Chris, her arms crossed in front of her.

“And why not?” she asked, an eyebrow raised. “What’s he done to you?”

“Absolutely nothing. But I just don’t get a good feeling from him,” Chris said, frowning down at her. “Auror instincts.”

“Chris, it’s not a date. I’ll be fine,” she said, turning and continuing to walk.

“Well, just be careful, will ya? You never know. How well do you know him anyway?” he asked, quickly catching up to her.

“He works for Aunt Hermione. I highly doubt he could be anything but harmless,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“I’m serious, Dom,” Chris said. Dominique looked at him.

“And I’m serious, Chris. It’s not a date and I’ll be fine.”

~~~

Daisy sped up on the treadmill as the music poured through her headphones. Her face was red and she could feel the muscles in her legs start to complain, but she didn’t let it stop her. She told herself she needed some conditioning in preparation for whatever was coming in Greece, but truth be told, she was staying late to avoid John. He had tried bringing up trip again, and she couldn’t help but feel continually guilty whenever he was around. She was especially worried that this would lead to him asking about the connection. She wasn’t sure she was ready for that conversation or if she would be able to lie about it.

A tap on the treadmill brought her out of her thoughts as she looked up and noticed Coach Nilsson standing there, smiling slightly. She quickly shut down the machine and pulled her headphones off.

“Coach?” she said, stepping off and breathing heavily.

“I don’t remember ordering any additional training,” he said.

“I know, just thought it would be good to make sure I’m in top condition before the trip. Not sure what all it will entail,” she said. Nilsson nodded wordlessly and walked over to a bench where he sat. He motioned her over. Daisy followed suit.

“How are you feeling about all this?” he asked, looking down at her. Daisy still wasn’t used to the fact that he now knew everything. She had been guarded at practice for so long she found it hard to be open still.

“A bit of everything. Relieved. Confused. Nervous. Wary,” she said. “You name it and I’m probably feeling it.” Nilsson nodded.

“I’m not sure how you’re able to manage. I’d probably be worse off than you,” he admitted. Daisy shrugged.

“I’ve had several months of covering up most things. Starting to become second nature by now,” she admitted.

“You still haven’t told Kingfisher anything?” he asked. Daisy shook her head no.

“It’s just… I see how knowing affects everyone. I can literally feel it with my brothers and Mum and Dad. If I can save him some of that, it’s worth it,” she said. “I don’t want him constantly worrying about me. And I don’t want him to risk his life for some fight that’s not his.”

“You think he would?” Nilsson asked, frowning slightly. Daisy looked up at him.

“What was the first thing you wanted to do when you found out?” she asked.

“I wanted to help,” he said automatically. Daisy smiled, making her point.

“See. That’s exactly what he would do too, and I don’t want him involved in this,” she said. “I don’t want him to put his life on the line.”

“But Daisy… if this is as big as everyone thinks it will be, he may be involved whether you want him to or not. Don’t you think he has a right to know what’s coming before it gets here?” Nilsson asked. Daisy looked at the floor, thinking over what he said.

“That’s why Lucy finally told Kelly. She wanted him to know everything so he could make a decision whether to stay or go,” she said. “And yea, I suppose John should have that too. But… I just keep thinking if I can keep him out of it a bit longer… Or, I don’t know. Find a way to get him back to the States.” Nilsson’s eyebrows flew up.

“You’d go that far?” he asked softly. Daisy nodded.

“He’d be safe there,” she said.

“You’d have to break up with him,” Nilsson said.

“I know,” Daisy said ruefully. “I suppose I’m being a bit selfish. It’s clear what I have to do – depending on what I decide – but I put off making a decision because I want to keep him with me longer.” What she didn’t say out loud is that she was also waiting for the connection to fully form. She couldn’t help but think the decision would be easier to make if that was a factor.

Nilsson could sense there was more she wasn’t saying, but he didn’t push her on it. Instead he sighed heavily.

“Maybe getting away for a couple months will help,” he said. Daisy looked up at him again. “You’ll be in Greece, focusing on training and getting yourself under control. Maybe learn something new. When you come back, you’ll be a different person. It might be easier for that person to make a decision.”

“I never thought about it like that, but I suppose you’re right,” Daisy said furrowing her brow. They were both silent a few moments before Daisy sat up and smiled sadly. “I miss the days when all I had to worry about was the post season.” Nilsson laughed softly.

“After this year, I’m sure you do,” he said. “It’ll get back to that someday.”

“I hope so. I don’t know how much longer of this waiting around I can stand. I just hope we find out who or what this supposed danger is soon so we can take care of it,” she said. She pushed off the bench and looked over as Nilsson stood next to her.

“Whatever comes, rookie, you got it,” he said, smiling down at her. “I’m confident that you can handle it. And you’ve got a whole lot of people to stand with you.”

“Thanks, Coach,” Daisy said, smiling up at him. She then shocked him but stepping over to him and hugging him. Nilsson froze slightly and then put his arms around her, looking down at her messy red ponytail.

Daisy then stepped back and looked up at him.

“I should get home. No doubt John is wondering what I’m getting up to,” she said before walking over to her bag and throwing things in.

“Get some rest, Daisy,” he said before turning and walking out.

~~~

“John, I’m home!” Daisy shouted after she had appeared in the living room. He was sitting on the sofa watching TV. She dropped her bag and walked over, collapsing next to him.

“Have a good workout?” he asked, still looking at the TV. She nodded and began stretching out her arms.

“Needed to work out some family frustration,” she said, rolling her eyes slightly. He looked over at her.

“Get a good pep talk from Coach?” he asked. Daisy glanced at him, wondering how he knew about that.

“Yea, I suppose,” she said. “He popped in for a bit.” John looked back at the TV and nodded.

“I heard a bit of it,” he said tensely. Daisy frowned. “I went to see what was keeping you so long.” Daisy was silent, not sure how much of their conversation he had overheard. “So… you feel comfortable discussing your family issues with Coach but not me.”

“I didn’t tell him,” she said quickly. “I didn’t want to tell him. Mum and Dad did that.” John continued to quietly fume next to her.

“But he knows. Whatever it is you’re keeping from me, he knows all of it,” he said, still not looking at her. Daisy took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

“It’s… it’s not the right time for you to know,” she said softly. John jumped from the sofa and started pacing in front of the coffee table.

“I’m getting goddamn sick and tired of hearing that, Daisy,” he said, raising his voice slightly. “When is it going to be time to know? After you get back from your little family vacation?”

Daisy watched him silently.

“Maybe,” she finally said softly. John groaned and stopped pacing, turning to face her.

“Do you have any idea what it feels like to be the only person who doesn’t know what’s going on?” he shouted.

“You’re not the only one-“

“Bullshit, Daisy. Kelly knows something. Coach knows. Toby knows. And I’m pretty sure Wills knows more than I do,” he shouted at her. “I’m the only one close to you guys that doesn’t know.”

“Jamie and Dad haven’t told anyone else on Puddlemere. The rest of the team doesn’t know. Dom even broke up with Paul just because she couldn’t tell him,” she said.

“I don’t see how we can keep going like this much longer,” he said. Daisy’s heart stopped for a moment. “I really don’t. How am I supposed to be there for you when you keep pushing me away?”

“I’m not pushing you away because I don’t want you to know out of spite. I’m trying to protect you, John,” Daisy shouted, jumping to her feet.

“Well I wish I knew what it was you’re trying to protect me from,” he said. “Because obviously you think that Wills is capable of handling it, but I’m not.”

“I can’t lose you,” Daisy shouted, causing him to go silent and stare at her. “I can’t tell you… but just… I-” She stopped as she felt the tears begin pouring down her cheeks. She covered her mouth as she stared at the floor and fought to get her emotions under control. The one thing that would make things worse would be causing some sort of disaster.

John watched her silently, fear starting to fill him. He had suspicions that whatever Daisy wasn’t telling him was something big and bad. And to see her struggle with it just made him feel even worse for pushing her.

“I think this vacation is coming at a good time,” Daisy said finally, still not looking at him. “We both obviously have some things to work out. Let’s not make any decisions about anything until I get back.”

“Are you finally going to tell me everything when you come back?” John asked, though his voice had lost its anger. Instead, he sounded desperate. Daisy looked up at him, seeing the hurt and pain in his eyes.

She finally nodded.

“I’ll tell you everything when I get back,” she said softly. “Just… I can’t right now.” John nodded.

“Okay, then,” he said. He then turned and walked into the bedroom, leaving Daisy to her thoughts. She sat on the sofa and dropped her head into her hands.

She desperately hoped that she had the strength to tell him everything when she came back. Otherwise she wasn’t sure how much longer he would stick it out.

~~~

Dominique smiled as she walked over to Magnus where he was waiting next to the large statue in the middle of the busy lobby of the Ministry.

“Good! I was worried you might back out on me,” he said, returning the smile.

“To be honest, I’m very much in need of a night out and away from the family,” she said as they walked towards the floos. Magnus laughed.

“I reckon you don’t get that often, what with most of your family working here,” he commented.

“And I live with my cousin Molly,” she added. “Where are we going?”

“There’s this nice little pub I like in the Alley. Not often frequented by your family I should think. I never seen any other Ministry folks whenever I go,” he said. Dominique nodded.

About five minutes later, they were seated at a small table in a cozy pub. It wasn’t exactly little, but it did give off a certain hominess that made it seem smaller than it was. Dominique looked around, instantly liking it.

Two pints appeared in front of them while she was getting settled.

“So, Magnus, how long have you been slave to my aunt?” she joked. He laughed.

“Really, it’s not so bad working for her. I’ve had worse bosses. I’ve been assistant to the Minister for about seven months now,” he said. “She’s very organized and efficient, which I can appreciate.” Dominique nodded.

“From what I’ve been told, she’s always been like that,” she said.

“Truth be told, I’m quite honored that she chose to hire me. There was quite a competition for the position. Suppose everyone wants to work with Minister Granger-Weasley. Famous history and all,” he said. Dominique snorted, amusing the young man.

“Thank Merlin she didn’t let it get to her head like others in my family,” she said. “I mean, most of them are fine. Uncle Harry, Aunt Iris and my parents have always been down to earth about it. As have Uncle Percy and such. It’s the kids, though. My cousins Freddie and James seem to thrive on it,” she admitted.

“I would have thought it would have been the Woods,” Magnus mused. “Mother is aunt to Harry Potter and father is a famous coach.”

“Nah, they prefer to be famous on their own talents rather than the reputations of their parents,” she said. “Though I suppose they inherited some of that from their Dad.”

“I have to admit, I know pretty much nothing about quidditch,” Magnus admitted. “I was never really able to get into it. Outside of your family, I don’t think I’d recognize any players or teams.” Dominique frowned playfully.

“That’s a shame. Brilliant game. I’m quite a fan of it myself. And no, it’s not because of my cousins or uncle,” she said. Magnus chuckled.

“I wouldn’t blame you if that had been the reason,” he said. Dominique realized at that point they had spent most of their time talking about her family and she still knew next to nothing about him. She planned to rectify that.

“So why is it we never crossed paths at Hogwarts?” she asked. He smiled and shook his head no.

“I went to Durmstrang, actually. My father’s family is from Norway originally and he went there, so wanted me to go as well. Family tradition and all,” he said.

“Oh, good. I was starting to feel bad that we hadn’t met at school,” Dominique said. “I think Daisy’s coach went there.”

“Ah yes. Lucas Nilsson. He and his sister left behind quite the reputation. Still stands to this day,” he said.

“Is that so?” Dominique asked, intrigued. She still didn’t know much about the quiet coach.

“Yea, I was actually there the same time as his sister Mara. Same year, though different houses,” he said. “We didn’t really talk much, but Durmstrang’s not that big, so you end up knowing most people that go there.”

“Really? Daisy’s told us a bit about him and his sister, but I still don’t know much,” she said.

“Well, I don’t know much about Lucas – he was a few years ahead of us and already playing professionally by the time we reached second or third year, I think. But everyone knew Mara. She was rather popular,” he said. “Played seeker for her house team – Sleipnir.”

“Such an odd name,” Dominique said.

“All the houses are named from Norse mythology. As most of the students are from Scandinavia, it made sense. Sleipnir was known for being a very athletic house. Most everyone who played on the house team ended up going into professional sport,” he explained. Dominique nodded slowly.

“And what about you? Which house were you in?” she asked.

“Vor,” he said. “She was a Norse goddess known to have great wisdom. So our house was known for its intelligence and love of knowledge.”

“Sounds a bit like Ravenclaw at Hogwarts. They were all known for being rather clever,” Dominique said.

“You ever consider going to another school besides Hogwarts?” Magnus asked suddenly. Dominique stopped and thought a moment. Truth be told, she had never really thought about it. She just always assumed she’d go to Hogwarts with the rest of her siblings and cousins, though she probably could have gone to Beauxbatons if she wanted to.

“To be honest, I never even thought about going anywhere. I suppose if I had wanted to go to Beauxbatons, Mum and Dad would have let me. And I probably could have since Mum went there. But everyone else was going to Hogwarts and I just went along with them. Besides, I don’t think I would have liked being on my own in France,” she said.

“And which house were you in?” he asked. Dominique laughed loudly.

“Really? Magnus you seem to know all about my family. You should know the answer to that,” she said. “I was a Gryffindor, of course.”

“You don’t really seem like one, from what I’ve gathered about them,” he said, studying her. “I’d see you as more a Ravenclaw.”

“Well, I appreciate the compliment to my cleverness, but I’m not surprised I was Gryffindor. Besides the fact it’s a family tradition,” she said. “While I do value intelligence, I have inherited a lot of the traits that Gryffindor is known for. Not the recklessness, mind you. But most of the rest.”

“Bravery, courage, chivalry?” Magnus offered. Dominique nodded.

“Yea, I suppose,” she said. “I actually thought Teddy would have been Gryffindor, to be honest. Though when I look at it, he is very much a Hufflepuff. And it could have gone either way. His mum was Hufflepuff while his dad was Gryffindor.”

“What is Hufflepuff known for again?” Magnus asked.

“Loyalty, kindness,” Dominique said. “He’s nothing if not loyal. Though sometimes I wonder about the kindness bit. He’s rather ornery.”

“This is your brother-in-law, right?” Magnus asked. Dominique nodded.

At that moment, someone bumped into their table, causing their glasses to nearly knock over. Dominique reached out to steady it before looking up to see who had ran into them. She immediately settled into a glare, as she saw Chase Hardwick from the Falcons standing there. He hadn’t seen her yet, but instead was looking at Magnus. Dominique glanced over at him, noticing his eyes were wide with recognition before he settled into bewilderment and then a frown.

“Oi, watch it Hardwick,” Dominique said, turning to glare at the seeker. He turned and saw her, immediately scowling in return.

“Sorry there, Weasley. Didn’t notice one of yous was here without the red hair,” he said brusquely. “Tell Pixie I said hi.” He then lumbered off towards another table at the back of the pub. Dominique glared at his back, biting back her tongue. She knew her cousin was his teammate now, but still didn’t stymie the growing desire to hex him.

“Merlin, he’s such a prat,” she said. “I completely understand why Daisy hexed him twice.” Magnus laughed softly.

“Doesn’t seem to be a friendly bloke, whoever he is,” he said. Dominique studied him for a moment.

“You don’t know Chase Hardwick? He’s the seeker on the Falcons. I’m sure my aunt has mentioned him once or twice,” she said. “His rivalry with Daisy is pretty famous, even among folks who don’t follow quidditch.”

Magnus shrugged.

“If she did I must have missed it,” he said. Though Dominique noticed he wasn’t as easy-going as he had been moments ago, but rather a bit tenser. Perhaps Hardwick just had that effect on people.

“No matter,” Dominique finally said. “Now, tell me more about Durmstrang…”

**~~~**

Chase Hardwick left the pub a few hours later in a better mood. After running into the Weasley wench - let’s be honest, there were too many in the family to keep track of individual names - he met up with some of the other Falcons and spent the evening getting pleasantly tipsy before heading home.

He was walking down a mostly deserted street when some sort of force pulled him sideways into a small, dark alley. He was then thrown against a brick wall, the breath knocked out of him upon impact.

“Are you really that big an idiot?” a voice hissed. Hardwick blinked as his eyes adjusted to the dark and he made out the outline of a man standing across from him, wand out.

“Bloody hell, I didn’t run into the table on purpose,” he sneered, rubbing the back of his head where he had been slammed into the wall. “Besides, how was I supposed to know you were going out with Weasley?”

Magnus continued glaring at the quidditch player.

“You see me in public, you avoid me. Understood? I do not want you ruining anything else,” he said. Hardwick glared at him.

“Look here, I haven’t ruined-”

“You failed to recruit Lila Flint,” Magnus shot back, interrupting him. “So, from here out, you stay away from everyone in that family - even the Potter boy.”

“He’s my teammate. It’s not like I can just ignore him,” he said

“You will. I can’t risk you screwing anything up. We’re too far along to back out now and so far everything is going according to plan. You will do well to remember your place in this,” Magnus said, his voice low with warning. Hardwick nodded stiffly.

“I understand,” he said reluctantly. Magnus quickly put his wand away.

“Good. Go,” he ordered. Hardwick quickly left the alley, not bothering to look behind him. Magnus watched him as he turned the corner and then quickly disappeared.


	22. When Things Unravel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An accident has Daisy facing the one thing she didn't want to do - admit to Kingfisher that she hadn't formed a connection with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Family/Drama  
> Rating: M (Language, Mention of abuse)

Daisy stood in the tunnel at Appleby, waiting for the announcer to say her name so she could take the field. She shook her legs, loosening up a bit and then rolled her shoulders, a look of determination on her face. It was bitterly cold, but she knew once she got up in the air and moving, the cold would be the least of her worries.

It was the last match of the first half. And then tomorrow she would be off to Greece with her mother, brother and the professor – hopefully to learn more about who she was and what she could do.

“Finally, taking the pitch is seeker Pixie Wood!”

She took off at a run and easily hopped on her broom, soaring up into the air. They were playing the Magpies, so it shouldn’t be a difficult match. They had beat them in most of their showdowns. Daisy sat confidently on her broom, waiting for the balls to be released.

She was going to make damn sure her last game of the first half was a good show.

~~~

“You lot ready for Greece?” Chris asked from where he sat next to Dominique. He looked down at the triplets seated in front of them with Wills.

“For the most part,” Jamie said. “Think Daisy and I are mostly packed. Mum’s been owling and popping by all week to make sure I’ve got everything.”

Dominique laughed softly at the image of her aunt checking after her grown children.

“I’m about to barmy if she shows up again,” Remus said, rolling his eyes. “I’m not even the one going.”

“She’s probably just nervous,” Dominique said quietly. She glanced around to make sure only they were within earshot. “It’s as much training for her as you. Doubt she’s gone through anything like this before. She didn’t go to school after all.”

“True,” Jamie said, casting a side-eye at his brother. “Which is why I don’t mind it so much.”

“Pix is looking good today,” Wills said, leaning forward in his chair as the game kicked off. “She’s been on a good run since that match against the Falcons.”

“Pixie’s got her groove back,” Alan said grinning. “She’s been pulling out new tricks again. Where she and Nilsson come up with this stuff, I’ll never know.”

Dominique turned her gaze back to the match, marveling at her cousin as she whipped in and out of plays, not seeming to notice the wind that was slowing up the other seeker.

“Should be an easy match,” she commented. “They’ve beat them in all their other matchups.”

“Yea, but this is Pix we’re talking about. She’ll not take it easy,” Wills said, smiling.

“Nilsson does tend to push them hard no matter what,” Remus said.

“How are things with John? She said anything to you lately?” Dominique asked. She had tried asking Daisy herself over the past few weeks, but she never seemed to say much. Just that they were “okay.”

“You know Pix. Says it’s fine. But I have my thoughts on that,” Remus said, frowning slightly. Wills looked over at him, his mutual concern evident.

“She hasn’t said more than that to me either,” Lucy piped up from next to Dominique. “But you have to admit, they’ve seemed a bit tense lately.”

“And things were going so well,” Dominique said.

“They’ll work themselves out,” Jamie said. “I overheard her not long ago. She’s going to tell him when we get back. At least that’s what she told him.”

Everyone grew silent at the news, all watching Daisy. If she was bothered by her personal life, you couldn’t tell from how she was playing. She was focused and executing each maneuver and play with ease, a fierce smile on her face as she glanced back at the bewildered look on the Wasps seeker.

“At least she stopped letting it bother her on the pitch,” Dominique said.

They all settled into watching the match, shouting and cheering with every goal that the Arrows made, or whenever Daisy successfully worked defense. After about an hour in, Chris glanced over at Dominique.

“So, you never said how your date with Magnus went,” he said lightly. Dominique’s eyes widened as she felt her cheeks heat up. Immediately, every single one of her cousins were looking at her. Remus and Alan were wearing goofy grins while Lucy started giggling.

“I told you. It wasn’t a date,” Dominique huffed. “We were just hanging out. It’s a work thing.”

“Sure you were, Dom,” Remus said. “Tell us about Magnus.” Dominique glared at him.

“He’s Aunt Hermione’s new assistant,” Lucy offered. Dominique turned her glare to the redhead seated next to her.

“He’s just a work friend,” she said before turning back to the game. Her eyes caught Paul as he passed to Kelly. “I’m not interested in dating right now and you all know that.”

“Question is, does Magnus know this?” Alan asked. Dominique threw a scowl at him. “Hey now, it’s a reasonable question. Some blokes don’t catch on as easily.” Dominique shifted in her chair.

“Well… I don’t know,” she admitted. “We didn’t really talk about that.”

“I’d suggest if you meet up again you make that clear. Wouldn’t do for the bloke to inadvertently get his hopes up and all,” Alan said before turning back to the game. Dominique huffed softly, though she had to admit he was right. It would be best to make sure everything was out there in the clear the next time they hung out - which she was fairly sure would happen. She could feel Chris glancing down at her, so she looked over with an eyebrow raised.

“Anything to add, Abbott?” she asked. He smiled slightly and shook his head.

“Seems you know what you’re doing,” he said while turning back to watch the game.

~~~

Daisy flew in between two of the Wasps chasers, causing one to fumble the quaffle. They had attempted to keep their formations tight – no doubt in preparation for Daisy – however she still managed to find openings. She ducked a bludger and looped around the away team hoops, looking out towards the field to the last place she saw the snitch. She saw it fluttering over the home team hoops and flew downfield, glancing up at Nilsson. He touched his nose, signaling for her to go for it. She grinned and sped off, leaving the chasers behind.

The Wasps seeker was on the other side of the field when he noticed her going for the snitch. Even though she knew he couldn’t catch up to her, she didn’t lay off, leaning close to her broom and zeroing in on the tiny ball. It zipped off towards the stands, with Daisy making a hard left after it. She reached out, seeing it within her grasp.

In the back of her focus, she heard a loud gasp move through the crowd, though she pushed aside whatever curiosity over it she had, and lunged forward, grabbing the snitch.

Whipping back around towards the field she looked around, confused as to why most of the chasers had stopped play. She looked down on the pitch, seeing her teammates flying towards a figure lying on the ground. Daisy’s eyes widened as she realized who it was.

“Fuck, no,” she gasped as she sped towards the pitch. “Merlin, god, please no!”

~~~

“Look at her go! She’s got it! That’s my Pixie!” Wills shouted as he clapped and watched Daisy shoot off towards the snitch. “Parks doesn’t even stand a chance catching up to that!”

The whole group rose to their feet cheering as Daisy tore off after it, obviously about to catch it. Then Dominique saw something out of the corner of her eye.

“Oh my god!” she shouted just as an errant bludger smashed into Kingfisher’s shoulder, knocking him off his broom about 80 feet up in the air. Everyone turned to watch at the sound of her shout, watching in horror as he hit the pitch – landing on his injured shoulder - obviously yelling in pain. Dominique looked over, watching as Daisy reached out and grabbed the snitch, obviously unaware of what had just happened. She flew around and saw John, then quickly sped down to the ground.

“She didn’t stop,” Remus murmured. “It was like she didn’t even see it…”

“How badly do you think he’s hurt,” Dominique managed to ask.

“Dunno… but he won’t be getting back on the pitch any time soon,” Alan said. “Taking a hit that hard to the shoulder of his throwing arm, then landing on it… It’s not good.”

~~~

Daisy landed and ran straight for John, who was grimacing and shouting in pain anytime someone tried to touch his shoulder or arm. He held it tightly to his chest.

“Move! Let me through!” she shouted, pushing players and healers alike aside. She dropped to her knees next to him, suddenly unable to speak as tears fell down her face. “Oh, god… John…” He looked up at her and despite the fact he was in obvious pain, she understood clearly the message he was sending without saying a word.

_ “Why didn't you do anything?” _

Daisy sobbed as the guilt wracked through her. She should have seen what was coming. If she had had the connection, she would have seen the bludger and could have stopped it or warned him. She hadn’t felt a single, goddamn thing. Not even a niggle or wisp of what was to come.

“Just, just… hold on, John. They’re going to fix you up,” she said, touching his face. “They’ll fix you up.” The healers finally managed to pull her away so they could assess the damage and take him to St. Mungo’s.

She put her hand to her mouth as her team looked on grimly.

“Why didn’t you do anything?” Kelly asked softly. Daisy looked at him, still unable to speak. She just shook her head and looked down at the snitch still in her hand. “I mean… I get it, but it’s just a game, Daisy.” Daisy quickly wiped at her face.

“Shut up, Kelly,” she said before disappearing.

~~~

“He’s going to know,” Jamie said grimly. The others in the box were too busy talking loudly to pay any heed to the little group watching as the healers take John off the field.

“I knew it wasn’t him,” Lucy said softly. “I could just feel it.”

“How do you think she’ll explain this one?” Remus asked. “Either she cares too much about the game to save her boyfriend or he finds out she’s been lying to him this whole time about the connection.”

“Either way, it’s not good,” Alan said, his brow furrowed. “We should probably make sure her room is ready.” Jamie, Remus, Dominique, Chris and Lucy looked at him.

“You don’t think he’d break up with her for it, do you?” Remus asked.

“Dunno. I really don’t know how that is going to go down, but I get a feeling she’ll want to stay with us tonight,” Alan said softly. The group looked to the field, as the room started emptying. Jamie looked up and noticed Wills was still standing, his face full of concern.

“We should probably get to the hospital,” Wills said without looking at them. “Daisy’ll need us.”

~~~

Daisy stood still, not paying any attention to the murmuring going on around her, and staring at the floor. A couple times, someone tried to speak to her, but she waved them off without looking up, not wanting to talk to anyone. She replayed everything over in her mind. Going after the snitch, hearing the gasp of the crowd. Grabbing it and then looking over to see John hit the field.

She should have seen it. She should have known it was coming.

And yet, she didn’t. There was absolutely nothing. Which meant it was true. She hadn’t felt John that night. She hadn’t developed a connection with him. If she had, she would have known he was in danger and she could have saved him. Sure it might have cost them the match, but it would have been worth it. She had felt someone else.

The murmuring rose to create an annoying buzz in her head. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block it out. It was giving her a headache. Why couldn’t they all just keep quiet?

Her eyes flew open as she prepared to yell at her team but she stopped. Her eyes widened as she looked around.

No one was saying anything.

They were all standing there, grim faces and lips unmoving. She frantically looked around, focusing on Kelly.

_ “I don’t understand… she said she had a connection with him. She should have known it was coming… Why didn’t she try to stop it?” _

She then looked over to Cunningham, who was glancing down the hall towards the triplets and her cousins.

_ “You have got to get over this, Paul… she broke up with you. It’s over,”  _ he thought.  _ “Though… why does she keep looking down here? Could there be a chance…” _

Daisy shook her head and looked over at Coach. He was leaning against the wall, his eyes fixed on the floor in front of him.

_ “I seriously hope it’s not as bad as it looked,”  _ he thought.  _ “I wonder what Daisy is feeling right now… probably beating herself up again. She can’t do that. This wasn’t her fault.” _

Daisy’s eyes widened. She could hear their thoughts. She looked down at the floor again, breathing heavily. She closed her eyes, remembering what Jamie had told her about controlling the connection. Surely she could use the same logic with this.

_ “Just… imagine there is a small dial in your brain. You turn it one way and it gets louder, you turn it the other and it gets softer until you can’t feel a thing…” _

She slowed down her breathing, and concentrated, visualizing a tiny knob. She started to turn it slowly and as she did, the thoughts around her quieted until she heard nothing. Her eyes flew open as she looked around, noticing she didn’t hear anything.

Well this was an interesting development. If only the rest of it had come this easily.

Out of the corner of her eye, she sensed Nilsson watching her. She looked back down at the floor, not meeting his eyes. Instead, she focused solely on him and slowly turned the dial back up.

_ “I wish she would just say something…” _

Daisy pushed herself a little harder, deciding to delve into her coach’s mind. She saw herself flying from his perspective. It was during her low point.

_ “What’s wrong… Nothing is working… Why can’t I get her to focus…” _

She looked to the door of John’s room, blocking her coach out, not sure she could take anymore of his pity. She was starting to feel overwhelmed and as though she couldn’t breathe. She looked down the hall, seeing her brothers. She pushed off the wall and quickly walked to them.

“What’s wrong?” Jamie whispered, turning to her before she had reached them. Daisy kept walking past them, motioning for them to follow her. She wanted to make sure no one on the team would hear. Once they were far enough away, she stopped and faced her brothers, Dominique and Lucy.

“I can hear thoughts,” she said after gulping down some air, tears falling down her cheeks. “I don’t know why, but it just, it just started.” She looked down the hall. “Kelly blames me. He keeps wondering why I would put the snitch before saving John.”

Dominique reached out and put her hand on Daisy’s arm.

“It’s not your fault,” she said softly. “We all know that you couldn’t have known.” Daisy whipped her head around to look at her cousin.

“He’s going to blame me. He thinks I felt it and chose to do nothing about it. I could see it in his eyes,” she whispered furiously. “And it is my fault… I should have told him. I shouldn’t have let him think that we were...” Her eyes turned gray as more tears streamed down her cheeks.

No one said anything. Not because they agreed with what she said, more so because they didn’t know what they could say to make her feel better.

“Doesn’t really matter, does it? Whether I tell him the truth or not, he’s going to break up with me. After everything, how could he stay,” she said, still barely keeping herself together. She looked to her side, fighting hard to keep the tears in check, but finding she couldn’t. “I suppose the one plus side is that he’ll be safe if he’s not around me.”

Dominique looked to the triplets, silently urging them to say something to comfort her. Jamie cleared his throat and stepped closer to his sister.

“You don’t know that he’ll break up with you. Maybe once you talk it all out, it’ll be okay,” he said soothingly. Daisy laughed shortly as she looked up at him.

“Would you stay?” she asked. “After finding out that I lied about the connection and everything? That there’s still a chance I felt someone else?”

“I chose to go back to Lila,” he said simply. “I could have chosen not to.”

“But that’s different. You’re connected to her… I can’t feel John,” Daisy said, starting to sob.

“You remember what the professor said. It just takes time,” Alan said. Daisy looked at him.

“But it’s been months. Don’t you think I would have felt something by now?” she whispered. Her brothers were silent. Daisy looked into their minds, seeing that all three now believed that she had actually felt someone else. “You agree with me. I see it in your minds.”

“Bugger… that’s going to take some time to get used to,” Remus muttered, running his fingers through his hair. Daisy glanced down the hall, seeing Nilsson again. He was looking down towards the Woods, a look of worry on his face. She quickly looked back to her brothers.

“God, I hate being able to read minds,” she muttered. Jamie looked down the hall, catching Nilsson and then back at Daisy.

“What did you see?” he asked sternly. She looked up at him.

“Nothing like that, he’s just worried. Pities me,” she said, starting to wring her hands. Daisy looked past her brothers towards the door again. “It wasn’t that bad a hit, right?” She looked at her family, begging with her eyes for them to tell her it wasn’t that bad.

“He’ll be right as rain in no time, I’m sure,” Alan said comfortingly. Daisy nodded and looked back at the door. If she could read that he was trying to make the best of it, she didn’t let on.

“Pix, there you are,” Wills said as he walked up to the group, a few mugs of tea following behind him. He waved his wand and they dispersed themselves. Daisy continued looking at the door, not grabbing for one. “You know, some tea might help you feel better.”

Daisy turned to look at him. She smiled tensely.

“Thanks, Wills. But just don’t think I can right now,” she said.

“Do you want to talk-”

Everyone turned their heads at the sound of the door opening. Victoire stepped out and looked around. Once she found Daisy, she walked over.

“He wants to see you,” she said softly. Daisy nodded and stepped passed her, disappearing into the room and shutting the door behind her.

“How bad is it?” Alan asked. Victoire looked at them and shook her head.

“It’s not good.”


	23. The End of Things & Connections

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisy finally forms a connection... but it's not with John.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Family/Drama  
> Rating: M (Language, Mention of abuse)

Daisy quietly shut the door behind her and looked over at John, who was sitting up in the bed, ace bandages wrapped around his shoulder and chest, keeping his arm immobilized against his body. She took a few steps towards him.

“How are you?” she asked cautiously, her cheeks still wet with tears. He looked over at her, his face set in a stern scowl.

“How do you think I feel?” he asked brusquely. Daisy nodded and looked to the ground.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, her voice barely loud enough for him to hear. She closed her eyes a moment, letting her control slip for a moment.

_ “How could she just ignore it?” _

Daisy quickly shut it off, not wanting to hear more.

“For what? The fact that you couldn’t let go of the snitch long enough to warn me?” he asked bitterly. Daisy’s eyes flew up to him, meeting his dark brown ones. He could see that she felt miserable about what happened, but for the moment, he let his pettiness win out. Even he had to admit that if she had seen it, there was no way she’d have made it to him in time.

Daisy was too blinded by her guilt to think he was being unusually cold. In that moment, she wasn’t so sure she could blame him.

“You have no idea how sorry I am,” she said, stepping closer. “I don’t even know what I can say or do to make this up to you. It’s all my fault.”

John studied her a moment before speaking.

“There’s nothing you can do about it now. The damage is done,” John said. Daisy felt crushed as more tears spilled down her cheeks. He did blame her. All she wanted was to protect John and in the end, he got hurt because of her.

“I didn’t mean to…” she started. John stared at her, waiting to see what she said. “I never wanted something like this to happen.”

“You didn’t mean for me to get injured?” he asked, the venom apparent in his voice.

“You know I would do anything to save you,” she said before she could think. Her eyes widened as her hand flew to her mouth. She hadn’t meant to say that. John studied her a moment.

“So it’s true. I had wondered,” he murmured.

“Let me explain-” Daisy started.

“Explain what? You lied. I don’t really see what else needs explaining,” John said simply, staring at her, though the harshness had left his voice. Instead there was nothing but defeat. Daisy couldn’t speak. She just stood there, tears streaming down her face, unable to admit to him that she hadn’t felt a thing from him.

“I thought I did. That night at the party. I did feel something. Like a, like a small breeze. It was… a sense of affection. It had to have been you,” she said finally, rushing to get it all out before he cut her off again.

“But you didn’t feel anything since then,” he said. Daisy shook her head no.

“I tried. Merlin knows, I tried John,” she sobbed. “But it’s not something I can just will to happen.”

“You can control when you feel your family now. You can control orbing. You can control hand magic. But you can’t control this?” he asked softly.

“No one can. It just… it happens when it decides to happen,” she said. John took a deep breath and looked down at his lap. “I had hoped when I moved in… that it would help. You have to believe me, John. I wanted this more than anything.”

“I guess this means that you felt someone else,” he said, still not looking at her.

“We don’t know that for sure. It doesn’t all come at once from what we understand,” she said quietly. “Maybe, maybe it just hasn’t happened fully yet.” He looked at her.

“Did it take Jamie this long?” he asked. Daisy looked to the floor.

“No,” she whispered. John took a deep breath and looked away laughing bitterly.

“Maybe you just don’t want to admit that you don’t want to feel me,” he said. Daisy frowned.

“You can’t honestly think I didn’t want to have a connection with you,” she said, her voice raising slightly. “After everything we’ve been through?! Why would I choose not to?”

“How should I know… for all I know, you’ve connected with Wills,” he said, glancing up at her.

“You know damn well I love you and only you,” she said, turning slightly angry. “This has nothing to do with Wills.”

“Oh really? Then why is he always around?” he shouted.

“I’ve told you, he’s known me since I was a child! He’s been a close family friend for over 10 years. There is nothing between us!” she replied, starting to lose her temper slightly.

“Sure,” he said wryly, leaning his head back against the pillow. “He always said he’d be waiting on the sidelines to swoop in.”

“John, none of this has anything to do with Wills and everything to do with us,” she said.

They were both silent a few moments. Daisy resisted the urge to look into his head, worried it would just make her angrier. Or more upset. Either way, she wasn’t sure she was ready to see what he was thinking. But part of her couldn’t help but wonder if it did have to do with Wills.

“Maybe, maybe we should wait until I come back to talk about this,” Daisy said. “Maybe we could use the time to cool down… think.” John looked at her, frowning.

“You’re still going to Greece tomorrow?” he asked.

“I have to,” Daisy said. “I know this is hard to understand, but I don’t have a choice.”

“You always have a choice, Daisy,” he said. “It’s a fucking family trip.” Daisy swallowed, knowing she was going to have to tell him everything. She still had hoped she could wait until she came back, but there was no way she was going to leave this room still his girlfriend if she didn’t come clean finally. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

“Not this time, John. You have to understand-”

“I’ve spent months trying to understand,” he shouted, cutting her off again. “I’ve tried to understand these new gifts of yours. I’ve tried understanding why you wouldn’t tell me things. Even now, I’m trying to understand why you think you have to go on some trip with your family while I’m holed up in some hospital!”

“I know it’s not fair to you, but if you would let me explain-”

“You’re damn right it’s not fair! Something is going on, Daisy. And everyone else around us seems to know what’s up, but you won’t say a goddamn word. Do you know what it’s like to be the only one who doesn’t know what’s going on with your family?” he shouted. “And I’m your damn boyfriend! Hell, we’ve been living together! And I feel like I don’t even know who you are!”

The two stared silently at each other a few moments. Daisy started to speak a few times, but found she couldn’t come up with the words. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, building up the courage. It was now or never. The tears were still falling.

“Daisy… I… I’m sorry,” John said softly. Her eyes flew open as she stepped up to his side. He seemed to be fighting back his own tears. “Shit, I shouldn’t be taking this out on you… It’s not your fault.”

“But it is, I could have stopped this,” she said softly.

“Even if you did see it, you wouldn’t have made it in time,” he said, looking up at her. She saw a glimpse of the old John. “It’s just… they said I won’t play again.”

“What? No,” Daisy said.

“The muscle damage… they can’t fix it. My arm won’t ever work the same again,” he said, looking away from her, his free hand clenching into a fist.

“But… that can’t be true. Surely there’s some… exercises or, or treatment. We’re magic, for Merlin’s sake. There’s got to be something,” she said. John looked up at her, his face full of anguish.

“There’s not. They already tried everything. I can’t play quidditch anymore,” he said. More tears streamed down Daisy’s face.

“What will you do?” she asked softly, still not completely believing it was true and completely forgetting her resolve to tell him everything.

“I think I should go back home – at least for a bit,” he said as though his mind was made. “After that… I can probably get a job on the coaching staff of my old team. Or… I can do something with the animal clinic. But… for right now, I just, I don’t think I can stay here.”

“But… Nilsson could set you up with something. Or maybe Dad could… Why?” she asked. “Why can’t you stay?” As soon as the question left her lips, Daisy regretted it. She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear his answer.

“Because, Daisy, it’s been obvious for awhile. My reasons for being here were always quidditch and you. My quidditch career is over and now with us… I just don’t know,” he said. “Unless… you want me to stay…”

Daisy felt her heart drop in her chest. She took a deep breath, thinking hard about what she would say. She wanted him to stay. Merlin, how she wanted him to stay. She could tell him everything, help with his physical therapy. Things could get back to how they used to be and they would work things out. And he would stay in London.

Except, things couldn’t go back to how they used to be. Something was coming. Daisy, her mother and her brother were going away for two months to learn how to fight and protect others. And in that moment Daisy knew the only way to save him was to send him away. He wouldn’t be safe as long as he was anywhere near her or her family. Especially not while he was still hurt.

Part of her wanted to laugh. Wasn’t she just telling Coach that it would be for the best if he went back to America? It seemed she had waffled so long on what to do that Fate took matters into its own hands.

Daisy couldn’t control her tears as she struggled to speak, knowing what she was about to say would be the equivalent to stabbing him in the heart. She knew that she couldn’t tell him the truth if she wanted him to go. One word about some upcoming danger and he would stay to protect her and she couldn’t let him do that. She would have to make him think she didn’t want him here.

She would have to break his heart.

“I think…” she started, her voice barely above a whisper. “I think it’s for the best… if you go back to America.”

“Is that what you want?” John asked. Daisy swallowed, attempting to gather herself together even though she was screaming inside. She wiped her cheeks. She had made her decision and there was no going back.

“Yes,” she said, though it came out more as a raspy whisper. “I think it’s for the best.” She kept eye contact with him, willing the tears to stay away for a bit longer. In a second it seemed as thought John had crumpled and all the fight had left him. Daisy started struggling to breath, sh she couldn’t bear watching him.

“If that’s what you want. Then I’ll leave for the States as soon as I’m out of the hospital,” he said, his voice thick. Daisy nodded.

“I should…. I should go. I still have a lot of packing to do,” she said. “I’ll get my things from our… I’ll move out tonight.” She stared at him a moment before leaning over and kissing him softly, the tears building up again. She then turned and walked quickly towards the door, feeling as though her chest was going to explode. She needed to get out of there before she lost it.

“Daisy,” he called out. She stopped and turned to look at him. “Why?”

It took all her strength not to run across the room and throw herself into his arms, pledging that she would always love him and begging him not to leave. The look in his eyes was enough to rip her heart out.

“It’s, it’s because I love you... that you should go. It’s the only way,” she said quickly, before turning and rushing out before he could question her further. She didn’t trust herself to stay strong as the tears were already streaming down her cheeks. And she already said more than she should have.

“Daisy!” he shouted.

She shut the door behind her and looked up into the faces of her teammates. All of them worried.

“How is he? What’d they say?” Kelly asked, stepping up to her. Daisy just shook her head, unable to speak as she covered her mouth. She stepped away from the door and started walking down the hall away from everyone. She felt like her heart was breaking into a million pieces.

“Daisy! What’s going on?” Nilsson said, reaching out to grab her arm. She spun around and looked up at him, meeting his ice blue eyes.

“I have to go,” she said. “I can’t be here.” She yanked her arm out of Nilsson’s hand and disappeared.

Nilsson and the rest of the team looked at each other and then down at the Wood triplets, Lucy and Dominique. Victoire was off looking into another patient.

“What’s going on?” Kelly shouted, meeting the eyes of the Woods. “You know something.” Lucy pushed passed Jamie and walked quickly towards her boyfriend.

“Now is not the time,” she whispered furiously.

Remus and Alan looked at Jamie.

“Did you see or sense anything from her?” Dominique whispered. Jamie sighed heavily.

“She broke up with him.”

~~~

When Daisy reappeared, she was in her room at her brothers’ flat. Well, she supposed it was still technically her flat as well. Especially now that she and John had broken up. She threw herself on the bed and let the tears take over as she buried her face in one of her pillows. She didn’t even care she was still in her dirty quidditch uniform.

A dullness had already started to set in even though the tears refused to stop. She was sick with herself. She know she only sent him away to keep him safe, but she couldn’t help but feel like her world was ending.

“Daisy, is that you?” she heard Jamie call through the door.

“Leave me alone!” she shouted, not even bothering to look up. She continued sobbing until she felt like there were no more tears left in her body and her head felt like it was stuffed with cotton. She didn’t know how much time had passed but her room was definitely dark. She sat up on her bed and looked at the lamp, watching as her room filled with soft light. She sniffled a bit, and massaged her temples, willing the dull throb that had settled in to go away.

There was a soft knock at the door. She didn’t feel anything, so she knew it wasn’t one of her brothers.

“What?” she called out wearily. The door opened and Wills popped his head in, his face awash with worry.

“Can I come in?” he asked. Daisy sighed and nodded. He walked into the room, a bottle of firewhisky in his hand and shut the door behind him. “Thought you could use it.” He held it out to her. Daisy took it and pulled the cork out, taking a long drink as Wills walked over and sat next to her, taking in her bloodshot, puffy eyes.

“It is that bad?” he asked quietly.

“He can’t play anymore,” she said dully before taking another swig. “He’s going back to America. I told him to go.”

“Oh, Pix,” Wills said, putting an arm around her and pulling her close.

“He asked… he asked if I wanted him to stay. And I did. I do. But… he can’t stay. He’ll be safe this way – even if it breaks my heart,” she said as the tears started up again. “I couldn’t even bring myself to tell him the full truth, because I knew he would definitely stay and end up getting himself killed.”

“It’ll be okay, Pix,” he said softly, rubbing her arm.

“You’re lying. I can see it in your head,” she said. Wills stared at her, missing that bit of news. “And he knows I lied about the connection.” Wills eyes widened.

“You told him,” he said. Daisy looked up at him, curious as to how he knew. But at that moment, she was beyond caring how he had found out and looked back to the floor.

“I let everyone think I had. For a bit, I even thought I had. But after that first whisp… there was nothing,” she said. “I didn’t have the heart to tell him that it wasn’t there… he was so happy…”

Wills was silent, not willing to voice the question running through his mind. If she hadn’t felt John, who was it?

“And now he knows I lied… and apparently there must be someone else,” she said. “But who-”

“Let’s not worry about that now, Pix,” Wills said comfortingly. “It’ll sort itself out. As I recall, you have to leave in the morning, correct?” Daisy nodded taking another drink.

“I need to go get all my things from John’s place,” she said, her voice cracking. Wills stood and pulled her up.

“Come on, then. It’s like a plaster. Best to just rip it off in one go. Your brothers and I will help and we should have it done in no time,” he said, smiling down at her. Daisy looked up at him and smiled slightly, though it looked more like a grimace.

“Thanks, Wills. What would I do without you?” she said, wiping at her face. He chuckled.

“I think you’d do just fine without me,” he said, pulling her towards the door. “You’re far stronger than you give yourself credit for.” Daisy nodded and let him guide her out of the room, thinking back to all the times he had been there for her. He always had a knack for popping up at just the right time and knowing just what to say.

Her mind flinted back over the years… He had been in her life for quite a long time...

~~~

_ “JAMIE! REMUS! ALAN! I WANT ALL FEET FIRMLY ON THE GROUND!” Iris shouted after the triplets. “You even think about reaching for one of those brooms, I will ground you!” The three stopped running towards a stand of brooms and looked sheepishly back at their mother, who was walking quickly to try and catch up with them, a tiny Daisy trotting to keep up, her red curls pulled back in low pigtails. _

_ “Mummy! I want to fly too if the boys get to!” Daisy squeaked. Iris just shook her head as she waved the boys back over to her. _

_ “Remember, visiting Daddy at practice is a privilege. Any of you get in the way or even think of playing a prank, no matches for the entire year,” Iris said, looking down at the boys. Daisy grinned and stuck her tongue out at her older brothers, who scowled at her. “That goes for you too, Daisy.” _

_ The little girl looked up at her mother, her bright green eyes wide. _

_ “But I don’t cause trouble, Mum,” she said innocently. Iris chuckled and looked up into the sky above the pitch, covering her eyes from the sun. _

_ “Let’s try and find Dad, yea?” _

_ All four children were immediately transfixed by the action going on above them. The team was running through plays with the chasers soaring in formation while the beaters attempted to knock them off guard. _

_ “Mu-um! Dad is where he always is!” Daisy shouted. “In front of the hoops!” _

_ “Are you sure you know about quidditch, Mum?” Alan asked, glancing at her. Iris sighed. _

_ “Yes, Alan, I do,” she said. Daisy looked back up at the sky, watching the seeker do loops around the top of the stadium. She had started Little League last year and had tried out all the different positions before declaring to her parents that she was going to be a seeker. In her second season, her father had been working with her and even brought her cousin Harry in to give her specialized seeker tips. She knew that someday she would be playing seeker on Puddlemere while her brothers were beaters and keeper. _

_ “WILLS! WOULD YOU STOP THAT AND FOCUS ON THE PLAY!” she heard someone shout, knowing instantly it was her dad. He had been captain a few years now and the coach often let him run practices in preparation for taking over as head coach in a few years when he retired. _

_ Daisy looked around and saw a young man with blonde hair, grinning as he shot off down the field. _

_ “THAT’S NOT THE PLAY I WAS TALKING ABOUT, YOU BLOODY-“ _

_ “OLIVER WILLIAM WOOD, THE CHILDREN ARE HERE!” her mother shouted from the sidelines, cutting him off before he could start cursing in front of them. Daisy giggled as she saw her father’s face turn slightly red from where he sat in front of the hoops. She personally loved it when her dad got in trouble with her mum. _

_ “Ehm, right, let’s take 15 everyone!” he shouted to the team. They all landed on the field and immediately, Daisy took off running for her dad. _

_ “Daddy!” she shouted as she jumped up into his arms and he spun her around. _

_ “How’s my little pixie today?” he asked before setting her back down. _

_ “Mummy is teaching me a new potion!” she declared. “But it needs to set for a bit before it’s ready.” _

_ “Ah, what does this one do?” he asked, bending down so that he was eye level with her. The rest of the team had walked over, all of them entertained by the Wood children. _

_ “Um… it… um…” she glanced over to her mother, frowning slightly, having forgotten exactly what the potion did. “It… OH RIGHT!” She turned back to her dad, grinning. “It turns your hair colors!” Oliver chuckled as he looked up at Iris who just shrugged. _

_ “She’s got a knack for them,” she said. _

_ “How are you, Iris?” one of the beaters, Roger McIntosh, asked. _

_ “Surviving. Which is a good thing with this lot,” she said, looking over at the 10-year-old triplets, who were busy asked the other beater Adam Truffle about his new broom. McIntosh chuckled, looking over at Daisy. _

_ “I’m sure this one will give you more trouble than those three combined. Sure to be a heartbreaker,” he said. _

_ “Not to mention a speed demon on a broom,” Iris said. _

_ “Pardon me, ma’am, but I don’t think we’ve met,” the young, blonde chaser said, stepping up to Iris. “I’m Bryan Wills, new center chaser.” He grinned as he took her hand and kissed it. “I must say, Mrs. Wood, you look absolutely stunning.” _

_ “Wills,” Oliver said in warning as he stood, frowning at him. Wills grinned at the older player. _

_ “Ah, and this must be the little Pixie I’ve heard so much about,” Wills said, stepping up to Daisy. She looked up at the tall player, putting her hands on her hips. _

_ “My name is Daisy!” she said, stomping her foot. “Daisy Nymphadora Wood.” Iris looked over at Oliver, her amusement clear. Wills immediately dropped down to one knee, making himself eye level with the little girl. _

_ “My utmost apologies, Ms. Wood,” he said dramatically. “I didn’t mean to offend you.” Daisy continued to frown at him, though it softened slightly. _

_ “You can call me Daisy,” she said. “Only my brothers and my dad can call me Pixie.” _

_ “Ah, but what about me? I thought I could call you Pixie too. Have my privileges been revoked? What will I do?” McIntosh said, pretending to wipe a tear away. Daisy giggled as she looked up at the big, burly man. _

_ “Of course you can still call me Pixie, Uncle McIntosh,” she said. _

_ “Is there anything I can do to get into your good graces, Daisy?” Wills asked. The little girl thought for a moment, scrunching her nose up slightly. She then looked at him, a brilliant grin on her face. _

_ “Take me flying!” she said. _

_ “No, Daisy. You’re not going up,” Oliver said immediately. Wills stood, studying the little girl. He then looked up at Oliver a moment and back down at Daisy, grinning. _

_ “Deal,” he said, just before he reached down and swooped her up in his arms. Daisy giggled wildly as he shot passed Oliver and McIntosh, easily hopping onto the broom and settling Daisy in front of him. _

_ They shot up in the air with Oliver shouting at Wills to come back down at once. _

_ “YOU WILL BE GROUNDED, DAISY NYMPHADORA WOOD!” she heard her father shout. _

_ Kicking her legs she laughed as she looked up at Wills, who had one arm wrapped around her and the other firmly on the broom. _

_ “Okay, Bryan Wills… you can call me Pixie,” she said, grinning. _

_ “Perfect. And no one calls me Bryan. It’s Wills,” he said with a wink. _

~~~

_ “MUM! THE TRIPLETS WON’T STOP CHASING ME!” Daisy shouted. It was a year later and the three brothers were particularly obnoxious that summer in preparation for their first year at Hogwarts. Poor Daisy got the brunt of it. _

_ Iris looked over from where she was standing next to the pool chatting with McIntosh’s wife. Oliver had invited the team over for a small picnic of sorts one weekend. _

_ “JAMIE! REMUS! ALAN! I WILL JINX YOU!” Iris shouted, narrowing her eyes at her sons, who all skid to a halt behind Daisy. She turned and smirked at them over her shoulder. _

_ “Yes, Mum!” they shouted in unison before walking off, glaring at their little sister. Daisy giggled to herself. _

_ “What’s this, Pix already besting her brothers?” Wills said, as he walked up with his date. Daisy grinned and nodded up at him, her ponytail bouncing behind her. She then looked at his date a bit warily. _

_ “Who are you?” she asked. The woman laughed softly and bent over. _

_ “My name is Mary. What might your name be?” she asked. _

_ “I’m Daisy Nymphadora Wood and Oliver Wood is my dad,” Daisy declared, puffing her chest out slightly. “And I’m going to be the best seeker in the Quidditch League.” The woman chuckled as she glanced up at Wills. _

_ “Is that so?” she asked. “How old are you Daisy?” _

_ “I’m 9,” she said. “I’ve been playing Little League for two years now and I’m already on the 11 and 12-year-old team.” The woman stood up, blinking slightly. _

_ “Really now? You’re not telling tall tales are you, Daisy?” she asked. Daisy narrowed her eyes at her slightly, the green flashing to red and then back to green. The woman jumped slightly, taking a step back. _

_ “I don’t lie,” Daisy said, stomping her foot. She looked at Wills. “Tell her Wills! You came to my games! I really am on the 11 and 12-year-old team!” He laughed loudly looking over at his date. _

_ “It’s true. She’s definitely a sight to see once you get her on a broom,” he said. “Suspect it runs in the family. Her brothers play beaters and keeper on one of the 13 and 14-year-old teams.” Mary was astonished as she looked back down at the tiny girl. _

_ “Well, my apologies, Daisy,” she said, smiling. Daisy studied her for a moment before she smiled slightly. _

_ “It’s okay,” she said. She then looked at Wills. “So are you gonna marry Mary?” she asked sweetly. Wills quickly spit out the lemonade he had just taken a sip of. Iris shot Daisy a look from nearby while Oliver beamed in pride at his daughter. _

_ “Uh, Daisy… that’s a bit personal,” Wills said, trying to clear his throat while his face turned red. “Besides, I’m only 22. I have a long time before I need to think about such things.” He glanced nervously at Mary, who smiled slightly. _

_ “But are you? Or are you going to marry Angelica, the girl you brought to the-” Wills quietly reached down and covered the little girl’s mouth, smiling sheepishly at his date. _

_ “Kids… they say the darndest things,” he said. Mary laughed softly. _

_ “No, Wills, I’m curious to hear what she says next,” Mary said. Daisy grinned from behind Wills hand as she glanced up at him. Wills looked down and removed his hand. _

_ “It’s okay, Wills. I know you won’t marry Angelica or Mary,” she said. Wills frowned slightly. _

_ “What do you mean, Pix?” he asked. _

_ “Because you’re gonna marry me!” she said, smiling brightly causing all the adults around her to start chuckling. Except Oliver, whose face went white. _

_ “Daisy-“ he started to say before Iris shushed him, enjoying the exchange too much. Wills laughed as he looked down at her. _

_ “Pixie, I think you’re a bit too young to get married,” he said. _

_ “I know! I wasn’t talkin’ about now, you flobberworm – I still have to go to Hogwarts. I meant when I’m all growed up,” she said, matter-of-factly. Wills stared down at her, amused. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Oliver started to turn pink and decided to have a bit of a fun. _

_ “Pixie, are you proposing to me?” he asked, grinning. She nodded. “This won’t do, we must do it proper if it’s going to be a real proposal.” He handed his date his glass and then looked around. He stopped when he saw some daisies in a flowerbed. Smiling he walked over and picked on, quickly fashioning it into a small ring as he walked back. He then cleared his throat and got down on one knee. _

_ “Daisy Nymphadora Wood,” he said solemnly. _

_ “Okay, I think you’ve take it far enough, Wills,” Oliver said, walking up to the two. Daisy giggled and reached over, grabbing the daisy ring and sliding it on her finger. _

_ “Too late, Da! I’m gonna marry Wills!” Daisy said, grinning. Oliver looked down at his daughter. _

_ “Daisy,” he said in warning. _

_ “Gotta catch me!” she shouted as she took off running towards the pitch. Oliver sighed and took off jogging after her. _

_ “DAISY GET BACK HERE! YOU WILL NOT MARRY WILLS IF I HAVE ANY SAY IN IT!” he shouted, which was shortly followed by Daisy squealing as he caught up to her and started tickling. _

_ “WILLS, SAVE ME!” she shouted. The chaser chuckled as he stood and watched Oliver let her go, but continued to chase her around the yard. _

~~~

_ Daisy huffed slightly as she landed and stomped over to the stands on the pitch at home. _

_ “You’re not going to win the Cup with that attitude!” her father shouted as he landed behind her. _

_ “Yea? Well I’m more likely to win if I’m not dead thanks to you!” 17-year-old Daisy shouted over her shoulder. She stopped in front of her bag and reached in for a bottle of water. _

_ “Daisy. You’ve got to stay focused,” her dad said, walking up to her. Daisy pointedly ignored him, choosing instead to keep her back to him. Oliver sighed and shook his head. “Fine, I’m going to get some water. When I get back, we’re going through those drills again.” He then took off at a jog towards the large country house, his broom slung over his shoulder. _

_ “And I thought he was a drill sergeant with us,” a voice said. Daisy looked up into the stands, noticing Wills there for the first time. He stood and walked down, sitting again on the second level. Daisy sighed and climbed up, sitting next to him. Thought not too close. Her cheeks flushed as she remembered the dream she had had last night. She had always been partial to him. She shook her head and pushed all those thoughts aside. Her father would kill her if he ever found out she had a crush on the chaser. _

_ “It’s all about the Cup and then making first string and then the World Cup,” Daisy said, rolling her eyes. Wills looked down at the teen, slightly concerned. _

_ “Is that what you want?” he asked. “The Cup? First string? The World Cup?” Daisy looked up at him like he was crazy. _

_ “Of course it’s what I want. Just… wish he’d let me have fun every once in awhile is all,” she said, looking back out to the field. _

_ “You do realize that the only reason he’s been so hard on you is because it’s the last year he’ll get to coach you,” Wills said, nudging her shoulder. Daisy rolled her eyes. _

_ “Oh, so this is all about sentimentality,” she said sarcastically. “He could still let me have a day off to go meet with Luce and everyone. The only way I even get to see Toby or you lot is if you drop by to watch me practice.” _

_ Wills chuckled and pulled her long ponytail. _

_ “You get to seem them all at school,” he said. Daisy glared at him. _

_ “It’s my last summer before I join the League. Shouldn’t I be allowed to have a little bit of fun?” she asked. Wills thought for a moment and then grinned. He looked over and noticed Oliver walking back to the pitch. _

_ “I’ve got an idea,” he said. “Follow my lead. I’ll see if he’ll let you do some practice with me and White. But instead we’ll skive off and go do something fun.” Daisy started smiling as he stood while Oliver neared them. _

_ “When did you get here, Wills?” Oliver asked. _

_ “About 30 minutes ago. Wanted to ask you about some of the new plays. Oh, and wanted to see if maybe White and I could take over on training Pix for a day,” he said easily. Daisy tried to temper her grin. She knew he was her favorite for a reason. She turned to look at her dad, who was looking back and forth between the two suspiciously. _

_ “You got somethin’ up your sleeve, Wills?” he asked. _

_ “’Course not, Coach. Just thought it would help a bit. Between our practices and training Pixie, you must be aching for a day off with Iris,” he said smoothly. “And I promise, we’ll not go easy on her.” Daisy nodded her head enthusiastically. _

_ “Please, Dad?” she begged. “Ashley said she’s got some new stuff she wants me to try.” Oliver was silent a few moments before he sighed. _

_ “If I say yes, will you put a bit more effort into those drills?” he asked. Daisy nodded again, her ponytail flying behind her. _

_ “I’ll even do extra ones! Without complaining!” she said brightly. _

_ “Pushing it, Pix,” Wills muttered next to her. _

_ “Alright… fine. You two can have her tomorrow,” he said. _

_ “At Puddlemere,” Wills added. Oliver’s eyes widened. _

_ “Why you want to go there when we have a perfectly good pitch here?” he asked. Daisy rolled her eyes. _

_ “I’ve got to get experience playing on other pitches, Da,” she groaned. Oliver rolled his eyes again. _

_ “Fine,” he said. “Tomorrow at Puddlemere. Trust you can apparate yourself there?” _

_ “Been qualified for two weeks now, Dad,” Daisy said. _

_ “Just checking. Now, get back up there,” he said, motioning for her to take the pitch. Daisy grinned and jumped up. She quickly hugged Wills. _

_ “Thanks!” she whispered before running to the pitch and hopping on her broom. The two men watched her as she started through some drills. _

_ “I hope you know what you’re doing with her,” Oliver said, still watching his daughter. _

_ “She’s in good hands,” Wills said, grinning. _

~~~

Daisy’s chest suddenly tightened as a warmth immediately filled her. She felt… love. Affection. Worry.

But just as suddenly as it appeared, it disappeared. It was the same thing she felt before, all those months ago. But this time it was stronger. She looked up at the back of Wills’ head as he led her down the corridor to the living room, her eyes widening. In that next second, everything came flooding through her at once and she realized that she had always been drawn to him. And now she understood why.

It had been Wills all along.


	24. Sorting Things Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisy's brothers help her move out of John's, while she tries to wrap her head around the fact that she's connected to Wills.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Family/Drama  
> Rating: M (Language, Mention of abuse)

Daisy was quiet as she threw things into bags and boxes, shrinking things so that she, her brothers and Wills could get it all in one load. She had stopped when she first stepped into the bedroom, feeling the tears start to spring up again as she looked around. Every single bit of the room reminded her of John and happier times.

But just as she felt the tears start, she quickly swallowed them and set about to gathering all her clothes, books and other items. She only spoke to give orders to the four men currently helping her pack, everyone watching her with a concerned eye.

For a moment, she allowed herself to look into Wills’ mind, curious as to what he was thinking.

_ “What if I got her roaring drunk? That usually cheers her up… no, she’ll probably end up more depressed and then angry with me that she’s hungover tomorrow… There must be something I can do to cheer her up… Merlin, I wish I could just… take the pain away. Why isn’t there a spell or potion for that? I’d gladly take it on if it made her smile again…” _

Her cheeks turned slightly pink as she turned it off and set back to work. She could feel his concern for her. Every second she spent near him, the connection just got clearer and stronger.

Part of her was happy that she finally had it. But more than that, she was confused and guilty. Not but a few hours ago she had told John that he was the only man she loved and now… she had some sort of magical, cosmic bond with Wills. She knew in all fairness, it probably had been there all along, but she suppressed it. But she couldn’t help but feel it was unfair to John.

She pushed the many thoughts crowding her head aside and focused on the task at hand, so into her work that she never caught Jamie’s many looks her way. She would go over everything later when she snuck out to Dominique and Molly’s later. She had already sent Ruff off with a message while she changed out of her uniform before they left.

~~~

“Well I think that’s the last of it,” Alan said as he placed a framed photo of the four Wood siblings on Daisy’s nightstand. She looked around the room and nodded. She had to admit, while she was still overwhelmed by everything that had transpired that day, she felt like she was back home after a long trip. And she was glad to be there. More than that, she was grateful for the four men currently standing in her room – even if she still hadn’t sorted out her feelings for Wills.

“Thanks,” she said, looking around at them.

“Shall we have a drink? To celebrate the return of Pixie!” Wills shouted joyously. The Wood triplets glared at him. “What? Someone has to lighten the mood.”

“Actually… If it’s alright, I’m a bit tired,” Daisy said. Her brothers nodded, though Jamie raised an eyebrow.

_ “Say nothing, Jamie Wood,”  _ Daisy sent him. He nodded.

“Well then, we’ll leave you to it,” Jamie said, motioning for the rest of them to leave the room.

“But… you know if you want to talk, Pix, we’re here for you,” Wills said.

“I know. And I will want to talk. Just… not right now,” Daisy said. Wills nodded and Daisy watched as they all walked out. She shut the door behind them and stepped back, then closed her eyes.

~~~

When Daisy opened her eyes, she was standing in the middle of Dominique and Molly’s living room. The two women in question were seated on the sofa with Lucy in an armchair and Victoire situated on the floor next to the coffee table. All had half-emptied glasses of wine in their hands.

“Get started without me, did ya?” Daisy asked as she stepped over and collapsed on the sofa in between Molly and Dominique. Dominique looked over at Lucy and motioned for her to get Daisy a drink.

“Well… we thought you’d be here a bit sooner,” Molly said.

“And honestly after a day like today, we all needed a drink,” Victoire said wearily. Daisy looked over at her, her face pinched with worry.

“How was he after I left?” Daisy asked. Victoire sighed.

“Well… he spoke to the team a bit and then Coach Nilsson on his own. He didn’t seem very chatty when I made my last round. Sulking and such, though I don’t blame him. Losing your career and girlfriend all in the same day… tough break,” she said.

“Hold on, that’s what happened? Jamie wouldn’t say anything after you left just that you broke up with him,” Lucy said as she stopped behind the sofa. She held the glass out over Daisy’s head. The redhead grabbed it and took a long drink. “What exactly happened, Daisy?”

“Did he… did he know about the connection?” Dominique asked as Lucy walked around and sat down. Daisy swallowed.

“Well… at first he was angry. He thought I saw what was going to happen and ignored it. Then I let slip that I would have done anything to save him. He guessed it from there and got angry again,” she said, feeling the tears start up again.

“Did you… did you see his thoughts?” Dominique asked softly.

“It slipped once. But I blocked him out. I didn’t think I could handle it,” she replied. “He was… so angry. And I couldn’t blame him. It was my fault. But then he stopped yelling… and he was just… He apologized and told me that he couldn’t play anymore. The damage was too bad. He looked so devastated.”

All the women blinked back their own tears. It was as though Daisy’s heart was breaking right in front of them.

“He said he wanted to go back to the U.S. Mostly just to recover, but… he said he’d stay if I, if I wanted him to,” she said. She stopped, unable to speak.

“Oh, Daisy,” Dominique murmured, reaching out and placing her hand on her arm. Daisy opened her mouth, but couldn’t speak. It took her a few moments, but she had finally found the words.

“I knew that if I told him the truth that I wanted him to stay, he would. And I knew if I told him the whole truth, he would stay. If he stayed… he wouldn’t be safe. If he were in the U.S. – away from me, from us – then at least he would have a chance. So… I told him that I thought he should go and stay there,” Daisy said, tears coursing down her cheeks.

“He was crushed…”

Dominique reached over and pulled Daisy into a hug.

“It’s alright… it gets a bit easier,” she murmured, as she rubbed her back.

“Does it?” Daisy asked. Dominique took a deep breath and nodded.

“Eventually,” she said.

“I didn’t want to hurt him,” Daisy whispered.

“We know you didn’t. And we know you only wanted to keep him safe,” Lucy said. “You did what you thought was best.”

“Why do I feel so horrible?” Daisy asked.

“Alright, Daisy, what’s going on with Wills?” Jamie demanded as he suddenly appeared in the apartment. All the women turned to look at him, varying looks of surprise on their faces. Daisy pushed out of Dominique’s arms, wiping her cheeks.

“Christ, Jamie! Did you really have to follow me?” she shouted as she glared at her older brother. Jamie looked around, suddenly feeling like he was intruding a bit.

“Wait… what’s this about Wills?” Lucy asked, from her chair. Daisy continued glaring at Jamie.

“Oh… you hadn’t said anything yet,” he said.

“No, I hadn’t. I was gonna get to it, but first we were talking about my recent breakup,” she said. Lucy’s eyes widened as she realized what was going on.

“You felt Wills,” she stated, staring at Daisy. The tiny seeker’s cheeks started turning red as purple streaked through her hair. Jamie took a step back as he was momentarily overwhelmed by the conflicting emotions wafting off his sister. She was miserable, embarrassed, hurt, angry and just about every negative emotion he could think of.

“Is this why you wouldn’t talk to us?” he asked, his brow furrowed.

“I couldn’t very well talk about it with Wills still there,” Daisy said.

“But you’re going to have to tell him eventually,” Jamie countered.

“Okay, everyone just hold on a minute,” Victoire shouted. Everyone looked at her. “Some of us are still playing catch-up here.” She looked at Daisy. “What the hell happened after you left St. Mungo’s?”

Daisy took a deep breath and motioned for Jamie to sit. He plopped down on the floor, watching her.

“I went home and cried – a lot – then Wills came over, bringing whisky. We sat and talked for a bit and he tried to cheer me up,” she stopped a moment, seeming as though she was becoming lost in the memory. “And then… I just… I was thinking about when we first met, and just, all the memories. All the times he’s been there for me and… it was just… there. I could feel him.”

“The connection?” Molly asked. Daisy nodded.

“On the one hand… I guess it makes sense, but… I just… I’m so confused. I never thought I was in love with Wills,” she said.

“Conflicted,” Jamie said. Daisy looked up at him. “Getting a lot of conflicted from you right now.”

“How would you feel?” Daisy nearly shouted. “I have to break up with the man I love, that I’ve lived with and have been with for nearly two years. And then… I find that I have this connection with a man I’ve known half my life and… I can’t just go falling into Wills’ arms and forget John just like that… How am I supposed to feel about this?” she asked before taking a very large drink of wine.

“I’m sure Wills would be thrilled if you fell into his arms,” Lucy muttered.

“Not helping,” Daisy said, shooting a scowl at her. Jamie sighed.

“To be honest… I’m not completely surprised it was Wills,” he said, rubbing his forehead. “You did declare that you were going to marry him at 9.” Daisy rolled her eyes.

“I was a kid,” she shot back.

“Let’s not forget the crushes you had on him in Hogwarts,” Lucy added. Jamie looked surprised. He hadn’t been privy to this information.

“They were just silly school girl crushes,” Daisy countered.

“He has always been there for you,” Victoire said. “Went to most of your Little League matches and all the ones at Hogwarts he could make.”

“He’s at every Arrows game when we’re not playing,” Jamie added.

“Okay, so he supports my quidditch career,” Daisy said. “That doesn’t mean much.”

“He’s been a good friend to you,” Dominique added. “And he genuinely cares about you. I don’t need to read minds to see that.” At the mention of reading minds, Daisy whipped her head over to look at her brother.

“Daisy…” Jamie said in warning.

“You’ve seen something, haven’t you,” she said. “I looked into his a head a bit earlier, but I didn’t look long. But you… you’ve seen more.” Jamie sighed.

“He’s… well, since this summer, he’s been… struggling a bit with exactly how he feels about you. Trying to convince himself that it’s nothing more than what it has been,” Jamie admitted. Part of him felt like he was betraying the chaser, but at the same time, he knew it would hopefully resolve this whole mess quickly rather than drawing it out.

“I knew it! I knew he was in love with her!” Lucy shouted in glee. Everyone in the room scowled at her. “Oh, come on! You were all thinking it too!”

“She’s right, you were all thinking it,” Daisy said dully. She looked back at Jamie. “Okay… so he fancies me,” she said calmly. “And it would seem that I… may… well, obviously not may if I’m connected to him…”

“Remember what the professor said. It’s not so much being in love with someone, but… someone you can’t live without – someone you have a deep bond with,” Dominique said, thinking out loud. “Daisy, it makes sense in a way. You and Wills have always had this sort of… special connection. Maybe the feelings of romantic love or whatever haven’t completely caught up to it on your part, but… now that I think about it, Wills is probably the only person you could connect with, besides John anyway.”

“You always were closest to him out of anyone on Puddlemere,” Jamie said. “Anyone in the League besides us, to be honest. And he’s still the only one outside us who can calm you down.”

“He did always seem to get you,” Molly added. Daisy sighed.

“But everything you’re saying could also be said for Toby,” Daisy said, her brow furrowed.

“Are you sure that you never… that you never saw Wills as more than just a good friend?” Dominique asked. Daisy looked at her and shrugged.

“I mean… maybe? Earlier, when I felt it again, I couldn’t help but think that I had always been drawn to him… and in that moment it made sense,” she said.

“Maybe all this time when he said he wasn’t settling down because he was waiting for you… he actually was waiting for you. He just didn’t realize it until recently,” Molly offered.

“But we’re all forgetting John,” Daisy said. “What was that, then? A cosmic detour?”

No one said anything. Daisy looked around the room, noticing Molly and Dominique had looks of contemplation on their faces while Victoire and Lucy wore looks of concern. Jamie was indecipherable.

_ “What are you thinking?”  _ Daisy thought. A flicker of a smile came across his face.

_ “Wondering what Dad’ll do when he finds out,”  _ Jamie thought. Daisy rolled her eyes.

“I hadn’t even begun to think about that,” she said out loud. Upon noticing the curious glances from her cousins, she sighed. “What Dad’ll do when he finds out about Wills.”

Lucy couldn’t help herself and started giggling.

“I didn’t think about that… but now… I’m looking forward to that a bit,” she said. “Oh Merlin… the look on his face. Please let me be there when you tell him.”

“I still have to tell Wills first,” Daisy said. She met Jamie’s eyes again. “I think I should wait until we get back. At least then, I’ll know more about it.” He nodded slowly.

“I suppose that makes sense,” he said. “And well, the less he knows now, the less likely anything will pop up in the press before we get back thanks to his big mouth.” Daisy’s eyes widened as she dropped her head into her free hand.

“Fuck. I didn’t think about that. They’re going to eat me alive,” she groaned. “As if it wasn’t bad enough…”

“You don’t know that,” Dominique said comfortingly.

“Yes, I do. By the day after tomorrow word is going to spread and every publication will know about the break-up and John leaving. I’ll be the Evil Pixie that broke up with her boyfriend just because he can’t play quidditch anymore,” she said, her eyes tearing up again.

“Daisy, we’ll be gone – out of the country – for two months. Everyone who knows won’t talk to the press. Whatever rumors spring up, they’ll die out before we get back,” Jamie said. “I’m sure there’ll be some other scandal.”

Daisy looked up at him, a wild look coming into her eyes.

“But what if it doesn’t?” she said, starting to get frantic. “I can’t deal with the press on top of everything.”

“I’ve got you covered at Witch Weekly,” Lucy said. “I’ll keep an eye on the gossip department.”

“And I’m sure Lila will set things straight at Quidditch Monthly if anything comes up,” Jamie said, hoping to reassure her. “You could leave a short statement with Nilsson or Dad in case something pops up.” Daisy nodded silently.

“Blimey, why did everything have to happen today?” she murmured. “And then tomorrow… who knows what we’ll find.”

The room was once again silent as everyone’s thoughts turned to the reason why Iris, Daisy and Jamie had to go in the first place.

“I suppose it’s silly to worry about press when the end of the world could be coming,” Daisy said despondently.

“It’s not the end of the world,” Dominique said strongly. “Not with us.” Daisy looked up at her, wishing she could borrow some of her confidence. “Don’t look at me like that. What happened to Daisy Fucking Wood?”

“She’s on vacation,” Daisy said, looking back down at her glass. Dominique grabbed her arm.

“No she’s not. She’s still in there,” Dominique said. “Look, I know things are really confusing and overwhelming right now, but you’re going to an island tomorrow where you will finally learn how to control your magic. What’s more, you’re learn how to do amazing things that some of us could only dream about. And then, all of us together are going to stop whatever is coming.”

“She’s right, Pix. We can’t give up before we’ve even started,” Jamie said. Daisy looked over at him, noting the hope in his eyes.

“We’ve been over this before, Daisy. You’re not alone. We’re all in this together,” Victoire said.

“And with everything that happened today… you did the right thing with John,” Dominique said softly. Daisy looked at her, wiping at the tears that were starting to pool in her eyes. “He may not understand it now, and not a lot of people will, but… you did the best thing for him. Right now he needs to heal up and get better – not worry about the future or you.” Daisy nodded.

“I still feel horrible about it,” she said softly

“Unfortunately that lasts a bit,” Dominique said. “But… put it aside for now and just focus on tomorrow and going to Moni.”

Daisy looked around the room, sniffling.

“Thanks,” she said, smiling slightly. She gulped down her wine and stood. “We should probably get back home. Big day tomorrow and all.” Jamie stood and nodded.

“Come on, Pix.”

~~~

When they appeared in Daisy’s room a few moments later, she sighed and walked over to her bed, sitting down.

“Did I really do the right thing?” she asked softly, looking up at Jamie. “By sending him away without telling him?” Jamie sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

“You did what you thought was best. And, yea, I do agree with you… if you told him everything, he’d probably stay. Which would have made things much harder for everyone involved,” he said. “I mean… what if you hadn’t broken up and then you felt Wills?” He walked over and sat next to Daisy. She blanched.

“Merlin, I didn’t even think of that… what a disaster,” she said. “It’s bad enough I’m still sorting out how I feel about it. I can’t imagine what it would have been like if…” She stopped and shook her head. “But that’s not the case, so best not to dwell on the what-ifs.”

She took a deep breath and looked up at him.

“But… I think at some point after I come back, I should tell him everything… It’s only right once he’s gone. I did promise him. And I doubt he’d come back if he knows about Wills,” she said.

“To be honest, that decision is best left up to you and I don’t envy you in the slightest on that,” he said, standing. “It’s a mess regardless, but probably a good idea to take your time sorting things out in your head before you do or say anything.”

Daisy nodded.

“Think we’ll ever get to have a quiet, normal life?” she asked, smiling slightly. Jamie chuckled.

“Someday. At least I hope so,” he said. “Night Pix.”

“Night Jamie.”


	25. Onto The Next Adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Woods set off for the island while Nikos lets the cat out of the bag in terms of Wills.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Family/Drama  
> Rating: M (Language, Mention of abuse)

The next morning, the triplets were up making breakfast when Daisy walked out. She stopped and watched them a moment, a small smile on her face.

“Blimey, Pix. Did you cry all night? You look atrocious,” Remus said, walking over to her.

“That’s a lovely way to say good morning,” Daisy said, scowling slightly. Remus smiled and pulled her into a hug and then kissing the top of her head.

“I think maybe Alan might have some cream for that amongst his very complicated skin care regimen,” Remus said softly.

“I heard that,” Alan said from the stove. Daisy laughed softly as she hugged her brother back.

“It’s alright. I’ve got stuff. And unless he’s been getting his potions, lotions and concoctions from someone other than me, I know for a fact that your skin care regimen is more extensive than Alan’s,” she said, glancing up at him.

“Thought that was our secret?” Remus said, frowning down at her.

“There are no secrets in this flat,” Jamie said from the bar where he was looking at The Prophet while drinking coffee. “Especially not now that there are two Legilimens here.”

“How could I forget,” Remus said as Daisy let go and walked over to sit next to Jamie. Remus walked back into the kitchen and poured her some coffee. “So for those of use who can’t read minds or feel emotions, how you two feeling?”

Daisy looked over at Jamie.

“A bit nervous. You?” she asked. Jamie looked up.

“About the same. Not sure what to expect over the next couple of months,” he admitted.

“Will you be able to keep in touch with us? Or they completely cutting you off from all contact?” Alan asked, turning from the stove slightly.

“Nikos said we’ll be able to owl and such,” Daisy said. “I’m taking Ruff with me, so we’ll try to send letters as much as we can. But you should only use him. Granted, there will be some things we can’t say until we get back in case the letters are intercepted.”

“You think someone would be looking to intercept them?” Remus asked, his eyes full of concern. “It would be that dangerous?” Daisy shrugged.

“We don’t really know seeing as we still haven’t figured out who exactly is behind the upcoming danger. But the Prostatis been incredibly private about their location for generations, so I suppose a lot of the precautions are to help keep their secret as well,” she replied. Alan held a full plate out and Remus handed it over to Daisy.

“Well, at least you two can have a full breakfast before you head out,” Remus said with a smile. Daisy squealed with glee as she picked up a fork and started to dig in.

“Much better to see you like this, Pix,” Alan said, looking over his shoulder at her. She quickly swallowed the large bite of eggs she took.

“Well… it’s gonna be a process, but… I’ll be okay in the end,” she said, smiling.

“That’s our Pixie,” Remus said. Daisy took a deep breath and smiled before returning to her food. She glanced around at her brothers and couldn’t help thinking this was how it should be. Though, a small part of her was slightly on edge, feeling like something was missing. She shook it off, determined not to think about it. She had other things to focus on today.

~~~

“You sure you’ve got everything?” Iris asked for the millionth time as she stood in the living room of her children’s flat, hands on her hips.

“Yes, Mum! I’ve tripled checked all my stuff and it’s there,” Daisy moaned, rolling her eyes at her mother. “You can go through it, if you’d like.” She kicked at her backpack that sat on the floor at her feet. Despite the chaos of moving all of her things from John’s unexpectedly last night, she was still able to get everything sorted and packed – even had time to check over everything that morning before her mother arrived.

“Just want to make sure you don’t forget anything,” Iris said a bit breathless. “It’s a bit warmer there than it is here.”

“We know, Mum. But it’s still winter,” Jamie said.

The three were currently waiting on Nikos to arrive. From there, the four would orb to a small village called Perdika where they would take a boat to the small island of Moni, just off the larger Aegina island. The community of protectors - or Prostatis as Nikos called them - was located on one shore of the island and so protected by magic that they could only enter the first time if lead in by someone who had been there before. Otherwise they would just wander around in circles on the coast.

Remus and Alan stood in front of the bar, watching as their mother and two siblings pulled on their winter coats and made ready to leave as soon as the old professor arrived. Lila stood next to Jamie, holding on to his hand tightly.

“Did I miss them!” Wills shouted as he bounded into the flat. Daisy sucked in her breath, freezing slightly as the chaser grinned, happy not to have missed the Woods’ departure. While she still felt slightly awkward around him, the nerves were quickly squashed somewhat by his happiness that was pouring through the connection. Iris looked up from her bag and smiled at the chaser, but then stopped as her eyes widened. She looked over to Jamie. He just smiled and shrugged.

“What’s going on?” Lila asked softly, looking up at Jamie as he started to grin. Iris looked utterly flabbergasted.

“Well… turns out Daisy developed a connection after all,” he whispered, looking over at Wills. He had to admit, after thinking it over, it was ironic and slightly hilarious that it would be Wills. The tall blonde beamed at Daisy as he walked over and wrapped her in a tight hug.

“Promise not to fall in love with one of those handsome Greek blokes while you’re gone, Pixie,” he said dramatically.

“I… doubt I’ll have much time for that,” she squeaked out. Jamie started chuckling and shaking his head as Iris blinked slowly, still coming to terms with what she had just discovered.

Before anything else could happen, there was a knock at the door. Remus walked over and answered it, leading the grizzled old man back into the living room.

“Ah, good! You are all ready,” he said, smiling brightly. He was wearing his own heavy coat and carrying a knapsack over his shoulder. Wills let go of Pixie and looked over at the man.

“You must be Nikos,” he said, putting his hand out. “Bryan Wills, center chase for Puddlemere United and Pixie’s future husband.” Nikos chuckled as he shook his hand.

“Ah… young Daisy. What did I say? You did not have to worry about the connection. It would come when the time was right. And it is quite strong, I see,” he said, glancing over at Daisy. Wills froze as Remus and Alan stared at him and Daisy a few moments before bursting into laughter.

“I… excuse me… what?” Wills asked, leaning closer to the man. Nikos looked over at Daisy, whose face was red and her hair quickly turning purple.

“Oh, Athena,” the old man muttered. “I did not realize you hadn’t said anything. A recent development, yes?” Daisy nodded.

“Last night,” she murmured.

“What? And you said nothing to us? Did you know Jamie?” Remus shouted.

“Of course he knew,” Alan said, still laughing. “Merlin, Mum you going to be okay?” All of them turned to look at Iris, who had a slightly dazed look on her face.”

“I… well, I think so,” she said, studying Daisy.

Nikos chuckled and looked around the room, his eyebrows shooting up when he saw Alan and Remus. He looked at Iris.

“Triplets? And identical?” he said, a bit stunned. She nodded. “But only Jamie has been marked?”

“Yes, why?” she asked. Nikos looked over at the still laughing Remus and Alan and back at Iris.

“It is interesting, but there is no time to focus on that now,” he said. He bustled over to stand next to Iris and looked at Jamie and then Daisy.

“I apologize but we should be off. We can deal with all this when we return,” he said. He looked at the four expectantly, holding his hands out. Daisy shook her head and stepped over to her mother, taking her hand and avoiding looking at Wills. Jamie kissed Lila on the cheek and then stepped over, taking Nikos’ hand as Iris took his other.

“See you when you get back,” Remus said, still chuckling. Daisy finally looked over at Wills, who was still stunned into silence. It was the first time any of them had ever seen this quiet for this long. She waved weakly and smiled.

“See you in two months,” she said.

The next second they were gone.

“Wills… you okay, mate?” Alan asked, stepping over to the tall player. Wills looked over at him, his eyes still wide.

“She… that… me?” he sputtered. Remus and Alan burst into laughter again.

“Better get him a drink,” Alan said, looking over at Remus.

“But it’s 10 in the morning!” Lila exclaimed.

“Doesn’t matter, he needs it,” Remus said, walking to the liquor cabinet.

“She can feel me?” Wills finally managed to get out. “It was me? At the party… and she… Merlin…”

“All those years of claiming you’ll marry her must have finally won her over,” Alan said. Wills shook his head and looked over at the spot where the four had just stood.

“More importantly, how do you feel about our sister?” Remus asked. Wills turned to look that them, taking in the shift in their demeanor. Both were suddenly quite serious as Alan crossed his arms in front of him, flexing his biceps. Wills swallowed.

“I’ve always loved her,” he said. “You know that.”

“We’re serious here, Wills,” Alan said.

“I am too,” Wills responded. “At least… well… it’s a bit complicated, isn’t it?”

“That is true,” Remus said walking back towards him.

“Blimey and now I have to wait two months until she gets back to talk about it,” Wills replied.

“Good luck with that,” Remus said, handing him a glass. Wills took it and down the whole thing in one gulp.

“What am I going to tell your Dad?” he asked, the color starting to drain from his face. “He’s going to kill me.” Remus and Alan chuckled.

“I suggest you don’t say a word until Pix gets back. Or  _ she _ will kill you,” Alan said. Wills nodded.

“Good idea. Blimey…”

“There really is no dull moment with your family,” Lila said, slightly in awe.

“No, there certainly is not.”

~~~

“Okay, so where are we on potential suspects?” Teddy asked, looking over at Chris and Dominique.

“So far, none seem active or organized enough to be behind something big,” Chris replied.

“All of Voldemort’s followers that we’ve looked into are either dead, in jail or reformed,” Dominique said, looking over her notes. “Though we’re thinking about looking into Grindelwald groups next…”

“You think there might be some still around?” Teddy asked. Dominique looked up at him and shrugged.

“It wouldn’t hurt to look,” she said. Teddy nodded.

“How are you doing with the forum?” he asked, looking around the group of four in his office.

“We’ve got a meeting with Harry and his team in about 30 minutes,” Toby said.

“And I need to go pick up the minutes from yesterday’s planning meeting from the Department of International Magical Cooperation,” Dominique said.

“Alright then, I suppose you should all get to work,” Teddy said. “Good work.”

The team stood and walked out to their desks.

“What do you think Jamie and Daisy are up to about now?” Dominique asked. “I wouldn’t mind being on an island about now.”

“Doubt it’ll be much of a vacation for them. Aren’t they supposed to be doing some sort of training while they’re away?” Chris said, going through some files on his desk, getting ready for the meeting with Harry.

“Suppose Pix is glad to be gone about now, though,” Toby said as he glanced at The Daily Prophet on his desk, grimacing.

“How back is it?” Molly asked, looking over at it, across her desk. “They weren’t too hard on her, were they?” Toby sighed and lifted it up, displaying the headline.

_ Arrows Dream Couple Calls it Quits, Kingfisher Returns to U.S. _

“It could be worse - at least the writer kept unbiased. But the timing and such doesn’t paint the best picture. So far no one is offering much in comments. Though they did quote Nilsson as saying that the whole team wished for Kingfisher’s quick recovery and the door was open for his continued involvement in the future, should he choose to do so,” Toby said, putting the paper back down. “But no comment on the breakup. All he said was it was a personal issue between Daisy and Kingfisher and he had no comment on it.”

“There’s another article on Daisy and Jamie leaving the country,” Chris said. “Suspect it’s only a matter of time before the gossip columns flare up.”

“It’s probably a good thing they’ll be cut off from news,” Molly said as Dominique nodded her agreement. “Daisy always did take articles to heart too much.”

“It is true about Wills?” Chris asked, looking at Dominique across from him. Her eyebrows flew up.

“How did you hear about that?” she asked, lowering her voice as she looked around. Toby chuckled from next to her.

“At this rate, her dad is definitely going to find out before she gets backs,” he said. Dominique’s head whipped over to look at him.

“No. He absolutely can’t find out,” she said. “That would be a disaster of epic proportions.”

“I’m not about to be the one to tell him,” Toby said, still laughing. “Honestly, I don’t think many want to take on that job. Daisy even said she wasn’t looking forward to it. I’m sure Wills is dreading it as well.”

“When exactly did you have time to talk to her?” Dominique asked. “You weren’t at the game or the hospital and she came straight over to our place then back home after she moved things out.”

“Ah, right… we charmed some notebooks that we write to with. Had them since Hogwarts,” he said. “She sent me a novel the night before she left. I was still up, so we chatted back and forth a couple hours.”

“So that’s how you know everything,” Molly said in awe. At that moment Teddy came out of his office and stopped when he saw his team sitting at their desks still chatting.

“I thought you all had work to do,” he said, raising an eyebrow. Immediately, they all set about doing whatever it was they needed to do. Dominique stood quickly and left the department, making her way towards the lifts.

She waited patiently for one to show up and once it did, she was mildly surprised to see Magnus standing there.

“Dominique!” he said with a smile as she stepped in. “Fancy running into you.” She smiled and pressed the button for the fifth level.

“Aunt Hermione let you out to roam?” she asked, looking over at him.

“Oh, she has me out and about rather a lot, actually. We use memo planes a lot, but she prefers me when it comes to files,” he replied. “Where are you off to?”

“Department of International Wizarding Cooperation. Need to pick up a file from Olive Pentergrass on the forum,” she said with a sigh.

“The Minister’s got you lot working on that too now?” he asked, astonished. Dominique nodded.

“It’ll probably take the whole Ministry to get that monster running smoothly,” she said ruefully. Magnus chuckled.

“Sounds like you could use a drink. Doing anything after work today?” he asked. Dominique thought for a moment, Alan’s comment from the weekend coming to mind. Dominique looked over at him, studying his face. He seemed eager for her to say yes, but she couldn’t quite determine where he stood on the dating-or-not spectrum.

“Before I say yes, I think I should probably be upfront about something,” she said. Magnus looked confused but motioned for her to continue. “I’m not saying that I’ve interpreted things this way, but I think it’s only fair that you know – I’m not interested in dating at the moment. I had a bit of a rough break-up recently and I’m just not ready for that sort of thing. If friendship is still on the table, though, I am open to that.”

Magnus stared at her a bit – momentarily stunned by her declaration – before he started chuckling.

“Dominique, you are stunning and while I do find you attractive, I assure you, I’m not asking you out on a date,” he said with a twinkle in his blue eyes. “I’m far too busy to think about a relationship with the forum. I enjoy spending time with you and friendship is enough for me.”

Dominique smiled and nodded, her cheeks slightly pink. Though she figured it was probably best to get it out in the open.

“Good, in that case, yes, I am free tonight. Same place?” she asked as the lift stopped at the fifth level. She paused before stepping out and looked back at him.

“Same place. I’ll see you there about 7,” he said. Dominique nodded.

“See you then!” she called out as she left the lift. No one else stepped in and the doors shut behind her. Just as soon as she disappeared, the friendly smile fell from his face as he began to smirk. He had to admit, he did find Dominique beautiful and enjoyable to spend time with. If he was going to have to spy on someone in the vast family of hers, at least he could have fun with it.

He waited patiently as the lift took him to the level where the Minister’s office was located, humming softly. He smiled slightly to himself, thinking about how well everything was coming together. No one suspected anything and once he got close enough to Dominique, he would then have an in with not just the Minister, but the auror’s office as well.

The lift stopped and the doors open, revealing the bright hallway outside the office. Magnus stepped out and started towards the door.

“I gotta a feeling… that tonight’s gonna be a good night,” he sang to himself softly as he smiled. “A good night, indeed…”


End file.
